Passing Through

The locals kept their distance, which was something to be thankful for, I guess.

I really don't need any more hecklers right now. I'm not sure how I'll do this as it is...

Luna had told me I should pick some things up at the market; 'you can't hide out in here forever', she said, and 'the ponies aren't as scary as you think'.

On the one hoof, she'd had to deal with ponies being hostile towards her before. On the other hoof, I couldn't help but resent her confidence in Ponyville quite a bit.

At least they were scared of her! What am I going to do if somepony wants to start something?!

Beat the snot out of them with all the muscles and skills you built over the moons of training you just finished?

I glanced down at my legs and it started to dawn on me for the first time that they weren't the same as when I used to stare at them in Tartarus. Huh.

Lost in that train of thought, I barely realized when I came across the apple stall. Or more accurately, the Apple stall. I froze up and glanced up at it to see Professor Applejack staring down at me, eyes narrowed.

Oh horseapples.

My ears slowly folded back in anticipation of some kind of loud outburst, but she said nothing. We just continued staring for several more seconds, and I saw one of her eyebrows slowly creep up.

Buck it! Gotta say something!

Very slowly, half afraid the slightest noise would set off a tirade of verbal violence, I worked my jaw open and squeaked out, "A dozen apples?"

Applejack's brow furrowed at that, but she silently gathered my order and set it on the counter. I veeeery slowly put out the appropriate number of bits and gathered my purchase, watching her like a hawk the entire time. For all I know, she'd wait until I was overburdened to pounce on me. I gently settled the sack of apples on my back and debated my next move.

I remember what she can do! She could lasso me before I could react if I turned my back on her!

But I had no other choice but to turn my back on her; it would be too awkward, even for this encounter, to back away watching her.

I barely got two paces before her voice caught up with me.

"Whoa, there, Cozy. Got a question for ya."

I cringed, and turned around. She had circled around the counter, coming right up to me, and I had to fight to keep from taking a step back.

"Umm... yes?"

Applejack squinted into my eyes. "Why'd you do all that nasty stuff you did?"

I balked, trying to think of that the 'right' answer would be to that, but I drew a blank. I looked around, but the environment held no clues for me. I decided to try to be straightforward.

"For power...?"

Applejack waved a hoof dismissively. "That ain't what I mean. I mean what made you so different, so mean underneath?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to find some kind of answer. Nopony had ever asked me that!

Usually, they're fine just writing me off as evil for the sake of it!

But that's not the truth, and this is the element of honesty speaking to us. So be truthful, if you even remember how.

I stammered and backed up a step, eyes downcast. "I-I dunno, I guess, I, uh..."

I wracked my mind for an answer, but I was drawing a blank.

Well, what's stopping me now?!

Regret, guilt, shame, and...

I looked up at Applejack, still unsure of myself. "I... I don't think I even knew what love was. Or even where to start."

Where did THAT come from? Way to embarrass yourself, and there's no way she'll buy that; there's no way that can be true.

... can it...?

Applejack recoiled at that. "What about y'all's parents? Family?"

I shook my head violently, as much to keep myself from thinking about that as to answer Applejack. She just nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"I see... and you do know, now?

I thought back to my encounter with Mom earlier. I nodded with a soft smile. "Yeah."

Applejack considered that, scrutinizing me and rubbing her chin with a hoof. After a few moments, she nodded. "Well, I don't think you're lyin'. I'm just glad you figured it all out in the end. Y'all take care, now."

She almost turned to leave, but I stopped her with my shocked expression and frantic hoof-waving. "Wait, that's it?! You just... believe me, and that's all?! You didn't even ask for an apology!"

She laughed at that, rolling her eyes. "Little filly, you spent a year in Tartarus, and then most of a year doin' whatever Discord was on about for your reformation. Now you look too scared to buy apples in the Ponyville market; any pony with eyes can tell you're sorry, I don't need to hear you say it. Way I figure it, the punishin' and makin' it up has to stop somewhere; I just wanted to understand ya'."

I shook my head and stared at her, positive I'd fallen into some weird alternate timeline where everypony had lost their marbles. "I don't get it. How can that be enough for you? I put you through so much trouble, and I haven't even done anything to make it up to you, personally!"

Applejack huffed at that. "Either a punishment's enough or it ain't, and if it ain't, what was the point of sendin' ya to Tartarus in the first place? How old are you, again?"

I stopped at that, considering. I studied the dirt as I considered it all.

I stopped keeping track when I lost my memory... oh! I missed a birthday in all of that!

Not like it was something to celebrate, anyway.

"I, uh... I guess I'm fourteen, now."

Applejack whistled. "Fourteen, huh? And how old were ya when ya started making decisions for yourself?"

I scrunched up my muzzle as I tried to think her question through.

Decisions... I didn't get a lot of choices before I ran away. How long has it been? The moons I spent as Quillon, the moons I spent with 'Grogar', the year in Tartarus, the year in the school...

"I-I think it's been three, maybe four years?"

When I looked back up, I saw Applejack's expression had softened considerably.

"So you've spent half of your years since then bein' punished already. What good will any more do? Honestly, I'm not surprised you came out of Tartarus so angry; a pony with a mind full'o'unhappy memories ain't gonna be inclined to be nice, and that's hardly their fault."

"It was my fault!" I said hotly before flinching back. I hastened to add, "a-and it's not like I had happy memories before that anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

Wait! Stupid! That doesn't prove her wrong at all!

It's the truth, though; you were broken a long time before you came to Ponyville. You always were.

Applejack's eyebrow rose, and I braced myself for the inevitable question. What I got wasn't what I expected.

"Well, you're makin' good ones now, and I figure that's the best medicine for you, Cozy. I ain't gonna interfere. And if'n you wanna talk, you can always come by."

I scoffed and shook my head, but I smiled. "You other ponies are just too nice."

Applejack laughed at that and rolled her eyes. "Someday, you'll run across somepony who needs help, and you'll get it."

My thoughts went back to some of the ponies I had tried to comfort back when I was playing superhero. I had just been playing up my persona, playing the role... but then again, that role was based on something. I looked on Applejack with a new sense of respect.

"I do get it, actually... I guess I just didn't think of myself like that."

Applejack winked at me. "Well, the rest of us will be there to let ya know when you're bein' too harsh on yourself."

With that, we said our farewells and parted ways. I smiled as I trotted away, really thinking over what had happened.

This point goes to Mom. I'm glad I came out here.

I'd almost made it out of the market when a distinctive blue-feathered griffon rounded the corner. We stared at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat awkwardly and swerved around me.

I'm not sure what came over me, but I held out a hoof to stop him. "Gallus?"

Gallus paused, quirking an eyebrow at me but otherwise seeming... bored? "Yeah?"

I blinked a few times in confusion. "Uh, it's me, Cozy Glow..."

His gaze flattened a bit ."Uh, yeah, I know. You haven't changed that much or anything. What's up?"

What's with this non-reaction?!

I believe it's called 'being cool'. You should try it, but you won't.

Oh for pony's sake.

I shook my head to clear it out and thought over my last real interaction with him. It had been in the other timeline, but... come to think of it...

"I wanted to say... umm..."

I gestured with my hoof, but that didn't magically conjure the phrase I was looking for. He smirked at me. "Are you struggling with 'I'm sorry?' "

I started. "Oh, no. I mean, yes, I am sorry, but that wasn't what I—look, I wanted to say you're really brave. A-and I really admire that. I don't think anypony is in quite as good a position to appreciate how far you will go for your friends... heh, ironically..."

That got a reaction, at least, with him reeling back somewhat in surprise. He raised a talon and opened his beak, and then closed it. That happened two more times before he seemed to come up with what he wanted to say.

"... Thanks?"

I smiled uneasily. "Yeah, so, uh, bye! Have a good shop—er, good time shopping!"

I trotted off quickly, trying to keep my head from catching on fire from how embarrassed I felt.

Have a good shop? Really? REALLY?

Uuuuuggggh I hate improvising I hate improvising I'm so bad at this somepony kill me now uuuugh.

I was still doing the mental equivalent of retching to get the bad taste out of my mouth most of the way to my house; Luna's home was up on the same hill I'd lived on in the alternate timeline Discord had transported me to. I wasn't sure if he had put the house there in the other timeline to mirror this place, or this place had been built to mirror that one; either way, I'd thought it would make me uncomfortable, but it was actually nice to be able to get my bearings.

I wonder if he was deliberately preparing me to live in Ponyville with all of that, in addition to everything else. That snake is crazy. I wonder how he's doing...

My ears perked up as I heard voices over the next hill.

"Ah toldja it wouldn't hold up!"

"Come on, Applebloom! This thing's survived having rockets strapped to it, how was I supposed to believe it couldn't handle a little cold?"

I stopped in my tracks. The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Here? Come on! I silently waved my hoof at the heavens in frustration. I've dealt with enough awkward for one day, don't you think?! Come on!

"A little?! Scootaloo, there's ice on it!"

I heard a third, predictable voice pipe up.

"I'm sorry! I haven't mastered the ice spell yet!"

"T'ain't your fault, Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was just bein' too reckless!"

"Yeah... don't worry about it, Sweetie. I'll just have to drag it back to the shop."

"But that's really far from here! And do you even have the allowance to get it repaired again after something like this?"

I groaned and started moving again, cresting the hill. Their conversation piped down as they saw me, but I didn't stop. Instead, I marched straight up to the scooter they were huddled around and leaned down to take a careful look. They stared at me in silence as I did so, though I could tell they were nervous and trading looks.

Handlebar snapped clean in half – nothing some welding can't fix. Can't do that myself anymore, but Mom could help us. Screws and bolts came undone, and the board split in half. Applebloom studied alchemy, right? She should be able to make it grow back together.

I sighed and hefted part of the broken scooter, setting it on top of the sack of apples. Dang, that's heavy.

Scootaloo's eyes went wide. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

I stared at her dully. "Come on. Bring the scooter."

Uuuuuuugh the less we have to say the better, just let me do my good deed in peace. It's so much easier in a costume!

I didn't wait for a response as I resumed my march towards my home, but the others soon fell in on my right. Scootaloo was the first to pipe up again, and I realized I had to look down at her slightly from up so close as she spoke.

"Jeez, Cozy, you really got a lot bigger! What happened?"

I did?

I looked myself over as I walked, and I realized that the ground really was a good bit farther away than I remembered. It wasn't just that my legs looked differently; they were a lot longer than they used to be. There were also clear muscles across them.

"I, uh... well, did you guys hear about the alternate world I was in?"

Sweetie Belle was the one who responded, nodding hurriedly. "Yeah! Discord made sure to tell everyone in Ponyville that you were reforming in some other world, and that you might be a little awkward around ponies you had met over there!"

My jaw slackened. "He really did that?"

Scootaloo snickered. "Oh yeah. He made sure to drill it in real clear, even to ponies who were super mad at you. 'No picking on Cozy', clear as day. 'She's not going to be the filly you remember.' And he was right! How is it you're taller than we are?! We should have outgrown you at least a little bit while you were a statue!"

Applebloom swatted Scootaloo on the flank, getting an 'Ow! What the hay?' from her. "Scootaloo! Not cool! Don't go remindin' her of that!"

I blinked a few times as I tried to register all of what I was being told, but I scrambled to intercede. "No, no, it's fine, Applebloom. Uh... thanks? But I'm not going to freak out over that. Uh, a-as for my height, I don't—"

Something dawned on me, and I swatted my face hard enough that I could hear the others wince. "Duh! I'm so stupid! I just spent almost a year as an alicorn, and alicorns grow faster and bigger than other ponies! I didn't even notice, because it was so gradual!"

No wonder Mom refitted my armor a few times... I thought the battle damage kept knocking bits loose!

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "Whoa, you got to be an alicorn for a year? No fair! That sounds so awesome! What was that like? Were your wings super big like when you went all crazy with—ow, Applebloom, quit it!"

I snickered. "Yeah, they were. I could fly like a Wonderbolt if I put my mind to it – and I had to, a lot of the time."

Applebloom looked up at that, her question puzzled. "What do ya mean? Were ya fightin'?"

I nodded. "All the time. I was, uh... I was a super hero."

Scootaloo leaned in uncomfortably close. "Oh wow, cool! What did you do? Save ponies from burning buildings, fight dragons?!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "You know dragons aren't just evil monsters, right? Though there was one..."

I launched into a long explanation of the various things I'd done as the 'Dashing Savior' while we walked, and it continued straight up to us getting to the workshop at my house. The three fillies' eyes bulged when they walked in, and I privately worried about what sorts of horrible shenanigans I might have unleashed by giving them access to a functional forge. Then all three of them began zipping around the room and talking so fast I couldn't keep up.

"Hey, is this an alchemy setup?! Ah didn't know you practiced alchemy, Cozy! We can totally do that together!"

"I recognize this fitting setup from Rarity's! You make dresses here?!"

"No, you goof! That must be for her totally awesome superhero armor! Hey, Cozy! You should show us your armor!"

"Yeah, show us your armor!"

I reeled back at the barrage of input. "Uhh... right. I'll go get it!"

I carefully set the scooter down, and hauled the apples into the kitchen. Mom was groggily wiping off her face and sitting up on the couch; we'd clearly woken her up. Whoops.

"Cozy? Did I hear somepony else?"

I nodded and hurried over to her. "Uh, yeah, I ran into the crusaders on my way back from getting the apples. I'm helping them fix something."

Mom smiled at that, which turned into a loud yawn. "Oh, that is good news, Cozy! Do you require assistance?"

I don't want to trouble her, but I also can't do the welding on my own...

"Maybe later? There's some stuff we can do first, and it seems like they want to goof off a bit."

She gave me a hug. "Have a splendid time, then. I just need to get a bit more sleep..."

She rolled over and nestled into the couch, and I smirked at her. Silly night-pony, sleeping anywhere. I figured she'd be used to a huge palace bed, but sometimes I wonder if she'd even notice if she slept outside.

I grinned and ran off, changing into my armor as fast as I could. I returned to the workshop to a chorus of excited 'oohs' and 'ahs'. Scootaloo ran up and gave it an experimental smack, which I could barely perceive through the layers.

"Wow, Cozy Did you make this yourself?!"

"No, Mom helped me. I had a costume, before, but she was the one that wanted it all armored up."

Sweetie snickered. "It definitely suits her style, though it seems a little weird for you, doesn't it?"

I shook my head vehemently. "I'm happy to wear her colors! It helps me remember... why I do the superhero thing."

Applebloom seemed puzzled by that. "What'cha mean?"

I scuffed a hoof on the floor. "W-well, just, she gave me a home and made me feel safe when I felt like the world was out to get me. That's what I tried to do for other ponies as a hero."

The three of them paused. Their eyes went wide. Wait, what's happened? What is this?

"AWWWWWW!"

I cringed and waved a hoof frantically. "Nono, none of that! Come on, guuuuys!"

It was too late. They were all on me then, in a big, sappy, kill-me-now group hug. Sweetie's voice cracked as she spoke over the other two, "She just loves her moooom!"

I huffed, refusing to budge an inch with the three fillies clinging to me. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you three."

Scootaloo leaned back, looking at me in surprise. "Who's laughing? That must have been really hard for you, getting used to opening up to somepony and accepting them as a new mom! I know what that's like; when my parents moved away I was devastated. It took me a long time to get used to living with my aunts."

"Oh... sorry, I didn't know about that. And Applebloom..."

Applebloom just nodded into my barrel and didn't say anything.

Well now I just feel like an ass.

Most donkeys have more tact than that.

"I really am sorry about that, guys. I thought you were making fun of me. I really am thankful for my mom; it didn't occur to me that there were orphans here. That was... that was stupid of me."

The three of them disengaged, and Applebloom looked at me with a frown. "Wait, aren't you an orphan too?"

I laughed, waving a hoof at her dismissively. "Just a self-made orphan, not the same thing."

I registered their looks of abject horror, realized what I'd said, and scrambled to amend my statement, "Whoa, hey, I just mean I ran away! Not like that!"

Scootaloo let out a breath, holding a hoof to her chest. "Oh, thank goodness! Things got dark for a second there!"

I should probably not mention that I wish I'd stabbed my mom before I left.

So you CAN learn.

I chuckled uneasily. "Yeah, sorry."

Sweetie chirped up. "But wait, doesn't that mean your parents are looking for you? I remember Twilight and the others tried to find your parents after... well, after stuff happened."

I cringed. "Yeah, I don't think so. They never wanted to see me again, I never wanted to see them again, and we both got our wish. To me, that's a happy ending. I have a real mom now, and I'm happy with that."

"But—" Sweetie Belle's next comment was cut off by Scootaloo, and Applebloom's attempted objection went quiet at a look from her. Scootaloo just fixed me with a serious look, and for a moment I wasn't sure what I might have stepped in.

"We get what it means to choose your family, Cozy. If you don't wanna talk about it, that's cool. Why don't you show us how all of these tools work?"

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "T-thanks, Scootaloo. So, uh, this is a lathe; you use it to rotate something really fast to shape it, like a pottery wheel. This one's for metal, and we use it for rounding out pieces..."

I threw myself into my explanation, happy to be back in my element. As the minutes stretched into hours with the crusaders, I realized how different this was from making friends before; back then, all I had to offer was manipulation and a cute face.

Now, I was an expert in several fields; somepony with experience in battle, who had fought alongside villains and heroes, traveled through time and dimensions, who had two friends that lived outside of this world entirely. I didn't wear my disguise anymore, but I felt like the physical change in my appearance helped remind me...

I wasn't the Cozy Glow who had been thrown in Tartarus years ago. I'd grown, and I was proud of a lot of the things I'd done and could do. Of the things I would do; the more we spoke and the more I felt myself easing into my role as a veteran of sorts, the more I felt certain that my adventures weren't over.

But for now, it was nice just to be with fillies my own age and laugh at Scootaloo's mishaps in the workshop.

Powerlust part 2

View Online

"If it's magic you're after, you've come to the right place, filly! Trixie can teach even the most magically-deficient pegasus to vanish and re-appear, to dazzle and awe, to escape the jaws of death itself!"

I could hardly contain my excitement as I sat and listened. Magic I can perform as a pegasus! This is fantastic!

"Stare in wonder at my magnificence!"

Trixie reared up on her little stage, and fireworks went off all around us. I was dazzled by the display, but I realized they were just conventional fireworks; set off with her horn, yes, but not inherently magical.

Hmm, the showmanship sure does misdirect you, though...

I tapped a hoof to my chin as I considered the display. Trixie suddenly disappeared in a blast of smoke, and the next thing I knew, she was on top of her stage backing, cheering. "Witness the incredible pegasus-unicorn act!"

With that, she leapt from the backing, but she didn't fall back down to the stage; I watched in shock as she took off through the air, soaring in a huge loop through the air, almost into the clouds, behind arcing back down and zipping straight back down into the cloud of smoke. It cleared with a flourish of her cape, and she was standing there, unscathed, cape held up so she could gaze out over it captivatingly.

I stomped my hooves in approval. "That's amazing! I didn't know unicorns could fly like that!"

"Little filly, there is much you do not know of the powers of unicorns!"

With that, she ducked her head behind her cape... and suddenly, the cape and hat crumpled to the ground!

That wasn't a teleport! I definitely would have recognized a teleport signature! How did she—?!

But I didn't have time to overthink it before the curtain parted, showing Trixie – sans her hat and cape – wrapped in a straitjacket with a mean-looking lock on it, itself locked into a cage.

"If Trixie could now get a volunteer from the audience, to ensure that these locks are quite secure and quite real!"

I stood up and marched over there, eager to unearth the trick behind the magician's tricks. I tapped the locks experimentally, as well as the cage door. No doubt about it; this was the same sort of cage they put me in in Tartarus! No magic could be used inside.

I even took a pin out of one of my saddlebags and tested one of the locks with it, which shocked Trixie. I spat the pin back in my saddlebag. "That's definitely a real lock alright! It would be hard to get out of there even if you had a pin; you can't even angle your head enough to pick at it!"

Trixie's brow furrowed. "Trixie will refrain from asking how such a tender filly knows so much about locksmithing. But now! If you are satisfied, please return to your seat!"

I strode back to where I'd been sitting, grumbling, 'I'll show you who's tender you city-filly, bet you've never wrestled a timberwolf,' and so on. Underestimate me, huh?

Still, I was eager to see the next part of the act. Trixie tapped a pedal inside of the cage with her hoof, and a spinning blade suddenly popped out of the ceiling, lowering slowly towards her.

"Fear not, audience-members! Trixie will escape this deadly trap long before the saw descends!"

That got my attention. I leaned in close, my mind racing. Every part of the cage I had investigated was secure, but what about the part with the saw? Could the saw just be a misdirection – an apparent threat, but the real key to her escape?

Trixie crouched down and away from the saw, and declared, 'Abra kedabra!' I was shocked when one of the locks on her strait-jacket popped off suddenly. Then I realized what had happened.

"The saw! When it popped out, a key dropped out of the ceiling compartment!"

Trixie gawped at me. She growled as she struggled out of the jacket, and frustratedly opened the cage, saw forgotten. She stormed up to me, blushing furiously. "Little filly, is it your intention to ruin the show for everypony else?!"

I looked around. "But, uhh... I'm the only one here."

"Hmph! So?! Have some respect for the magician's craft!"

I leapt to my hooves. "But I do respect it! That misdirection was masterful! If I hadn't been so familiar with that kind of cage, and hadn't spent so long trying to escape one, I never would have figured it out! Really, it's genius!"

Trixie seemed taken aback. "But... it's not magic...?"

I balked. "So?! I had magic, tons of it, but relying on magic to solve all of your problems just makes you lazy! You've always gotta be smarter than the other pony if you want to keep ahead! This is way cooler than just 'magic-ing' your way through every problem; you actually have to find ways to solve problems or create illusions without thinking with your horn. I want to learn all of it!"

Well, you were always inclined towards misdirection and deception, so it's just fitting.

I can use this for good!

Trixie seemed genuinely happy with my response. "Well that's great to hear, little filly! It's rare to find somepony who can appreciate the art of what Trixie does. And what is your name, would-be apprentice?"

I froze. She doesn't know? Ohhhh ponyfeathers.

"Uhh... I'm Cozy Glow...?"

Trixie's smile froze on her face, along with the rest of her. A wind blew past, and I spotted a tumbleweed making its way past. Seriously?

"Oooh, well, um, that's... unexpected. Um, Trixie feels like she should mention, just as a sort of general disclaimer mind you, that the awesome powers of stage magic aren't really useful for taking over Equestria."

I wanted to object, but my analytical evil-overlord side beat me to the punch. "I dunno, you could probably get pretty far with that stuff if you really tried. Have you ever given conquest a shot?"

Trixie opened her mouth, expression furious, and clearly about to object, but then stopped. It was rather like a weight had dropped inside of her skull and rattled her mid-action. She slowly lowered her hoof. "... Maaaaaaybe?" She smiled uneasily.

I smirked. "I bet it went really well until you won and had no idea what to do past that, right?"

Trixie groaned. "Ugh, do not remind Trixie. She spent moons on an apology-tour."

"Hey, I did that, too! Sorta, anyway. Same idea."

Trixie pursed her lips at that, considering. "And what does the famed villain Cozy Glow wish with Trixie's arts, hmm? Seeking to become all-powerful again?"

I nodded quickly, grinning and getting into character. "That's right! Cozy Glow will be known throughout all of Equestria as the greatest and most powerful magician, the evil rival of Trixie!"

Trixie's eyes widened. "Oh, a dual act! I love that—I-I mean, Trixie approves of this idea!"

I clapped my hooves together excitedly. "I can work an angle off of my old dumb schemes! I can claim I am trying to win over all of Equestria with my magic act so I can have an army of friends and take over!"

Trixie cringed. "But you aren't... riiiight?"

I stared at her flatly for a few seconds. Another breeze blew past, rustling the very-empty seating area, and I gestured at it dully.

"I've got a funny feeling it wouldn't be all that practical, even if I wanted to take over."

Trixie sighed. "It's true, the magician's lot is a harsh one. There is no appreciation for this art in modern Equestria!"

I shrugged. "Ponies can be dumb about some things. But I appreciate it."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "And is that the only reason you wish to learn from Trixie?"

I drew in a breath. Gotta give it straight. "No. I want to be more powerful, and without my magic, this is one of the only options I have. I think I'd have a knack for it – after all, misdirection and deception come naturally to me. And this seems like a positive way to use those skills, to me."

Trixie's eyes narrowed. "And why do you want to be more powerful, Cozy?"

I stared at her sternly. "I was a hero, in another timeline. Discord sent me there to experience it, and I want to do that again. I don't want to just be 'the craziest foal in Equestria's history' forever. I want to be more. And even if it doesn't work out that way, I'd rather be known as a great stage magician and entertainer than just a villain everypony wishes was never born in the first place."

Trixie fidgeted a bit in place. Seems like I hit a nerve. "Trixie is... okay with this, but what does Princess Luna think? She is your... guardian, is she not?"

I suppressed an urge to growl. "She's my mom, if that's what you mean. And I got her approval before I came here. She understands how important this is to me."

Trixie pondered that, and then surprised me when she came over to where I sat and plopped down next to me. "Trixie is sorry if she offended you, Cozy. She's—I've been getting used to my new role at the school, and I do miss traveling the road and performing. Everypony in Ponyville has seen my act already, so nopony comes around anymore. Aside from dazzling the students once in a while, sometimes I feel like I've lost my calling."

I frowned in confusion. "You work at the school, now? What do you do?"

Trixie sighed. "I'm the new school counselor. I clearly need to brush up on my skills; we've all made mistakes, and I know better than most how hard it is to get on a better track when everypony is suspicious of you at every turn. I suppose I was just shocked to have the first pony to really show interest in my show in so long be you."

I laughed at that, shaking my head. "No hard feelings. You should be suspicious of me; the last thing you remember of me was a crazy filly hurling fireballs and trying to take over the world. There's a lot of my story you've missed. Honestly, it's been weird having most of the ponies be so accepting of me! It kinda freaks me out, sometimes."

Trixie snickered. "Starlight Glimmer said something similar to me when she moved to Ponyville. And again, when she visited her old village. It's not something I totally get, but I know a thing or two about mending fences."

"Starlight... I really hurt her. Aside from Twilight, I spent the most time in the school with her. And I always felt like she understood me better than anypony else. That's why she scared me; I always worried she'd see through me. That's why I... well, that's why I got her out of the way. That was really horrible."

Trixie chewed her lip over for a second in thought. Calling back some of that counselor training? "So... Cozy, how did that make you feel, when you did it?"

I groaned. "I don't know. It was kind of a whirlwind. I mean, I was caught up in this huge rush as my plan was kind of rocketing to completion, and I was panicking because she was about to find me out, and then I saw a chance to get rid of her and I jumped all over it. I just felt so relieved that I'd gotten the better of her... at least, at first. But... once I'd gotten a little time to calm down, I went back down to the caves to check up on her. I didn't have to, there was no point to it; I knew she was still trapped. But I felt like I had to say something to her."

I sucked in a breath and steadied myself before continuing. "But what could I say? I couldn't really say 'sorry', because I wasn't about to let her go, but at the same time I felt so conflicted about it. I don't even know what I expected when I went down there; I just felt like I had to explain it to her. I couldn't just throw her into another dimension, never see her again, without her ever even knowing why I'd done it to her. I... I turned it into a gloating session, playing the part of the big villain laying out their scheme, but it was because I felt bad underneath, at the same time I felt awesome because, y'know, I'd won. And I was really trying to bulldoze over my doubts by focusing on my destination... which I guess is what I always do."

Trixie nodded along as I spoke. When I finished and looked up at her, she seemed to almost panic slightly. "I-I see, I see. Umm... that's a lot to take in, I'll be honest. But, uh, I guess now that some time has passed, the awesome feeling is gone, huh?"

I nodded, looking down at the grass. "Yeah. All that's left is the bad, and it's just gotten a lot worse. It's like... the more I grow up, the more I see how childish I was, how stupid I was, and how much my actions could have hurt everypony. Discord showed me what would have happened if I had won, but honestly that didn't hurt nearly as much as realizing what it means to take somepony away from their friends and family."

Trixie looked puzzled at that. "When did you learn how that felt?"

I scuffed the grass. "When it was time to leave my superhero time and home behind. I didn't think anypony would know who I was here; I thought I'd lose my mom and my best friend."

Trixie winced. "Ooo, that's awful. Discord didn't tell you about the memory transfer spells beforehand?"

I shook my head. "I think he left that part out deliberately... so I could learn that lesson. 'This is what ponies go through when they lose somepony.' I can't believe I almost took Starlight from you and Twilight... it makes me sick to think about it."

Trixie coughed uncomfortably and looked around. "Well... Trixie—er, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. But you were young – younger, that is – and ponies make mistakes. You just have to learn from them and move on. Everypony was alright in the end!"

"Not for lack of trying on my part. I mean... I didn't mean for anypony to get seriously hurt, but I was so reckless and thoughtless I could have killed ponies. And, like, learn from it? Okay, but... I'm still the same pony I was, on some level. It's not like I'm magically different. Growing up doesn't just totally change who you are."

Trixie looked at me with a neutral expression, and I stared into her eyes, wondering if what I'd just said would make her angry. I honestly couldn't tell. When she spoke, her voice was very soft.

"You know, Cozy, you're very sharp for a filly your age. No surprises there, I suppose; you did outwit the school to pull off your scheme. But what I mean is that you're mature for your age; you already understand that becoming an adult doesn't just grant some magical transformation into a totally new pony. But maybe you should think of it like this... you read comic books, right?"

I nodded, and she forged on. "Sometimes, the hero doesn't start off all that impressive, right? But they fight villains, they make friends, they get new gadgets or spells or whatever, and they get stronger. They stop being tricked by villains so easily and they really grow, until you can barely recognize them anymore. And sometimes they change their costume or their name to mark what a change has happened to them. We even refer to the different 'eras' in a hero's life, because they change so much. To an outsider, it's like they're totally different characters; but to us, watching, it's so gradual it might as well be invisible. I like to think of growing up in those terms; separate your life into eras, and think of it like a change to your performance and your costume. You may be the same filly underneath, but the way you interpret that and put it on display is different."

I chewed my lip. "But if what's underneath is evil—"

Trixie hushed me, which startled me into silence, and waved a hoof. "No no, that's the act. You act good or evil, or heroic or villainous, outgoing or aloof, but in the end those are all your choices. Sure, you may be strongly inclined to act one way or another, talented at something and terrible at another... but in the end, when ponies start throwing around judgey words like 'evil' or 'stupid', you just need to understand they're focusing on what they can see. And all they can see is this," she rustled her cape for me, and then pressed a hoof into my barrel, "but not this. You decide what act to put on, but don't ever start letting your critics tell you what kind of act you can put on. Let the haters hate; even if you aren't good at something yet, you'll show them all, someday. It just comes down to your choices."

Part of me felt like she was talking about herself, but I pushed it down and smiled. What she'd said really meant something to me.

"Thanks, Trixie. I really appreciate that."

Trixie smiled down at me in that winning-performer way. "Trixie was glad to help. And if you really want to learn Trixie's stagecraft, just come around the school after hours. Trixie is always there late anyway."

I snickered. "Cozy Glow will do that. Can't get a proper rivalry going unless I know the trade."

Trixie nodded, and smiled to me as I departed. As I made my way down into Ponyville, I faintly heard her say something, but I couldn't make it out.

Maybe it's time I get a new outfit, too...

Sass Back part 2

View Online

"The only reason they left you with your wings was so you can buzz off."

I smirked. "Canterlot called; they want you to move there so they can feel better about themselves."

The filly huffed. "Fillies like you should get their mouths washed out with soap!"

I grinned slyly. "You've got some weird fantasies."

She recoiled. "I never!"

"Well I do all the time; what, can't handle it?"

"A mind as dark and twisted as yours isn't fit for polite company!"

"So? I haven't found any."

"You should learn to hold your disrespectful tongue!"

"Like this?" I stuck my tongue out at her.

The filly scoffed. "What do your parents think of your behavior?"

"They don't; that's better than you can say!"

She paused in shock. "You think of everypony around you as nothing but tools!"

"I dunno about everypony, but I definitely see a tool."

That got a smirk! "Not even the School of Friendship could cure your degenerate mind."

"Whereas they didn't even invite you."

"You're a nightmare!"

I snickered. "Sorry, you'll have to ask my mom about those."

The filly paused then, but pressed on. "It's a miracle a filly like you hasn't killed anypony."

"Does that mean you're here to tempt fate?"

"What brutishness!"

"It's a cultural thing; I'm from the real world."

Another smirk. "You're a villainous and cruel little reprobate!"

"You're just mad I wear it better."

She couldn't suppress a snicker. "How can you stand to be outside, ugly as you are?"

I grinned savagely. "I just make sure to stand next to ponies like you!"

At that she laughed openly, and I joined her. I heard a loud throat-clearing sound and glanced over to see Applebloom staring at the two of us.

"... What in the hay did Ah just witness?"

I laughed and gestured at the other filly. "Oh, Applebloom! Have you met Diamond Tiara?"

Crack

View Online

I cleared my throat and mind, and settled into my chair, focusing on the blue pegasus mare seated across from me. Her bright grey eyes were more than a little intimidating.

Showtime, Starlight.

"So, Miss Glow – or do you prefer Bright?"

The mare smiled pleasantly at me. " 'Glow' was my married name. Just call me Bree. Everypony does."

I smiled back, trying to cover up any preconceived notions I had. "Bree, then. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. You have a nice home," I said, glancing around meaningfully.

Bree nodded, gesturing to it. "Left to me when my dear mother passed. Can you believe my husband tried to take it when we divorced? Some ponies, honestly."

No snark, Starlight! Do not snark! DO NOT SNARK!

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean. I'm sure you didn't get half of what you deserved."

Ponyfeathers! I couldn't help it!

Bree smiled warmly at me. "Right? Ponies can be so entitled, there's just no winning."

I struggled to keep a straight face. She didn't even notice. Roll with it!

Bree sighed and leaned back. "Speaking of entitled ponies wrecking things, you came here to discuss Cozy Glow, is that right?"

I nodded quickly, seizing the productive topic before I slipped up. "Right! So, um, I'm in charge of the School of Friendship now, and Cozy Glow's history is something we've been continuously trying to follow up on, but we were never able to track you down before."

Bree rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. Cozy did a thorough job of covering her tracks; nopony ever came to speak with us after she ran away. All we got was a letter in the mail saying she was taken in by an orphanage, and we were so swamped trying to fix all of the damage she caused before she left we didn't have a chance to even look into it. The next thing I knew, she'd left the orphanage, and then I was reading about her being thrown into Tartarus in the papers!"

Bree scowled, and I started to see the resemblance for the first time as she continued. "Honestly, that filly was rotten to the core, right from the beginning. Never satisfied with anything, always trying to play her games with all of us, trying to appear oh so sweet and innocent and then stabbing anypony who trusted her in the back. Nothing we ever tried worked! She just got worse and worse, and I started to see her influencing the other kids... if she hadn't run off to cook up her schemes elsewhere, who knows what would have happened here? I was at wit's end!"

My smile had gone quite rigid listening. On the one hoof, that did sound precisely like Cozy, but on the other...

"I'm sure it was very hard for you."

Bree's eyes widened up as she looked thoroughly miserable. "You have no idea! 'The mare who raised a monster!' I didn't want ponies to know who I was! I moved all the way down here to Dodge City just to get away from it all!"

That does sound like a difficult reputation to deal with, but I feel like she's missing the bigger point here.

I frowned, setting my hooves together. "And Cozy was raised primarily in Cloudsdale, is that right?"

She nodded, rolling her eyes again. "Can't ever go back there now, courtesy of that little monster. We moved around a bit while she was growing up, but enough ponies remembered who she was and that I'd raised her to make all kinds of problems. I finally decided to return to my family home just to get out of it all. Honestly! It wasn't enough that she ruined our family, she had to drive me from my home, too! Do you know how few pegasi live here in Dodge? It's not right for a pony to be away from their own kind, you know!"

I shifted a bit, and glanced around at the expensive living arrangements.

"You seem to have landed on your hooves, though."

She huffed. "Oh sure. We Eyes, we're fighters. Always have been. But that doesn't make it fair or easy! What mother doesn't suffer at having her babies taken away?! I can't believe that rotten filly did that to us!"

Well, she sure doesn't have anything nice to say about Cozy. Can I really blame her, though?

I cleared my throat. "And, um, what did she do, exactly?"

Bree started crying, her face drooping into an anguished frown. "That little monster made up all sorts of lies about us around town, for years, and then when she ran away she gave a detailed 'report' to foal services. It was all horseapples, but with the reputation she'd given us, we didn't have a leg to stand on when they came for our kids! She tore our family apart with her games long before she got around to terrorizing the rest of Equestria!"

I recoiled slightly. I didn't know that! "And the other children? Where are they now?"

"Gone," she wailed, "they put them in foster care and didn't even let me see my babies! They said I'd be 'disruptive', can you believe it?! What's wrong with this country?!"

She kept weeping, and I just sat there, awkwardly. Would foal services really take that kind of drastic measure based on nothing more than reputation?

I cleared my throat. "Bree, um, listen. I'll talk with Princess Twilight about your situation, and we'll look into it, but I can't make any promises."

Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward, staring at me like I had just given her a second chance at life. "Really?! You can do that? Oh, thank you, Starlight! Thank you!"

I nodded cautiously. "Like I said, no promises, but we can at least make sure everypony was doing their job correctly."

Bree leaned back, holding her head. "Of course they weren't! A foal can't be away from their mother. It's not right. I would have gone to Cozy in Tartarus if I could have, but of course even that isn't an option now... I don't even know if I want to go and see the statue. It's just a reminder of all of my failures as a mother."

I started at that. "Statue? Oh, Cozy's not—"

I cut myself off as I realized this might be a bad idea, but it was too late. Bree was watching me very carefully, expecting me to continue. I cleared my throat.

"Cozy is currently... in therapy, of sorts."

"Oh!" Bree leapt to her hooves. "Where is she?! I have to go and see her!"

So one minute, she's a monster, and now Bree wants to see her? Well, I guess I can kinda understand, but I've got a bad feeling, here...

"Please, Bree, calm down. She's in a very delicate state right now, and I don't think—"

Bree shook her head violently. "No! Don't you feed me that 'disruptive' line, too! All of you government ponies are the same, thinking you know what's best for foals! What are you really doing with my daughter, hm?!" She pointed a hoof at me accusingly, and her voice kept rising in volume. I just stayed calm. "Why can't I see her?! What do you think is going to happen, that I'll somehow make her snap?! She already did that! It's common sense that she just needs her mother!"

I grit my teeth slightly. Sorry, Sunset. I should have handled that better. "Bree, listen to me. We'll talk about what can be done with you and Cozy Glow, but first I need to speak with Princess Twilight about your case, okay? You've waited this long, you can hang on a few more days!"

Bree scowled at me with a hateful expression that reminded me a little too much of Chrysalis, and my skin started to crawl. "You have no idea what it's like to have your babies taken from you, you heartless witch. Go ahead, talk to the princess, or do whatever you're going to do, but I will see my foals again."

I stood up, definitely sensing that I was no longer welcome here. "Right, well, I guess I'd better go do that, then! Uh, nice meeting you, bye!"

I didn't bother using the door; I just teleported straight out of the house.

That atmosphere was suffocating! Now I see why Cozy would have bad memories of that mare. Still... if she really tore her family apart like that, she has even more to make up than I thought. I'd better go talk to Twilight about all of this before things get out of hoof.

I took a bracing breath and teleported to the train station, hoping I hadn't just set off a real mess.

Empathy

View Online

"And that's how the Crystal Heart channels the power of ponies' joy and love to keep the winter at bay. This is also how we keep the windigoes at bay with Hearth's Warming, and the source of changeling magic."

I smiled down at Cozy, who was diligently taking notes and skimming over her alchemy textbook.

This is definitely what I miss most about my old job. It's always so gratifying to see an industrious student!

Still, I couldn't help but wonder. Cozy had only been back for a few weeks, and we hadn't had many chances to talk in that time.

Apparently, I trained her in the other timeline, but without Luna's dream magic I'm at a disadvantage, here.

Cozy glanced up, having finished her notes. "So, if I understand all of this right, the dark magic Sombra used is like 'alicorn' magic? And it's called that because only alicorns can normally handle it?"

I nodded gravely. "Darkness and fear are dangerous emotions to channel into your magic, Cozy. For any normal pony, they corrupt the mind. Soon, they begin seeing things that aren't there, or seeing things differently – seeing friends as threats, or their greatest fears made manifest, for instance. Even for alicorns, the process can be both dangerous and draining."

Cozy nodded with a deep frown. "I remember having trouble keeping my magic pure when I first started using it. The more I used, the more angry I got..."

I smiled down at her, eager to help cast the memories in a positive light. "You were aware of that, even without any magical education? That's quite impressive, Cozy Glow."

She shrugged, still frowning. Not quite the response to my praise I hoped for. "I just hate anything trying to get in my head or control me. Probably why I was so obsessed with controlling other ponies."

She's quite introspective for a child... I'll need to avoid careless remarks that other ponies would take at face value.

I tousled her hair, and she paused to lean into my hoof. She does seem to crave affection, doesn't she? "Cozy, don't focus on your past errors. Learn from them, but let them go and look forward. For instance; what do you want to do with this alchemy project?"

Her eyes lit up slightly as she skimmed over her notes, and I recognized that scholarly intrigue that had endeared me to Twilight years ago.

I knew suggesting a subject change openly would go over better than trying to do it on the sly with this one. Good call, Celestia.

Cozy squinted at her alchemy book as she spoke. "So, I was thinking. Love magic can eradicate dark magic, but it can also moderate it. If the two are balanced right, the result can basically be neutral magic power, right?"

I nodded, considering the suggestion. "That is true."

Her experience with combat magic is certainly showing. It's so surreal to remember she's been on such adventures in another world.

"So that's probably pretty dangerous, right? If we wanted to use something like this to stop somepony like Sombra, it would be important to use a whole lot of it to overwhelm his magic entirely, or there would be an explosion or something."

I laughed at that. "You're right! I hadn't even thought of using this sort of mixture that way. Though you can't really store love magic in a potion, you know; even an artifact like the crystal heart can only hold on to such an ephemeral power for so long. The real key would be how much love magic could be generated at the critical moment; the recipe you're looking at is nothing more than a focus for it."

Cozy considered that, rubbing a hoof to her chin. "So this creates something like a miniature crystal heart. Ponies could wear them like necklaces to protect them, couldn't they?"

I tapped my chin. This child asks some incredibly difficult questions! I suppose it's to be expected with her level of experience.

"In theory, but they would either need to channel the love magic into it themselves to recharge the necklace, or they'd need to be standing in the field of something like a Crystalling. The crystal ponies themselves react in such a way for similar reasons, you know; they take a sort of 'charge' when the Crystal Heart pulses."

"Ooooh, so that's what their deal is. Neat. Hmm..."

I smirked down at her. "You're really dedicated to finding some way to apply this to fighting, aren't you?"

Cozy just smirked right back up at me. Sassy! "I know how to do two things; fight badguys and hurt everypony around me. So yeah, I'll stick with the fighting for now."

I winced, but she just giggled and went back to reading. That casual self-hatred isn't good... but still, she seems in good spirits, so I won't bring it up.

"Still, bit of an odd choice for combat magic, isn't it? I realize you don't have a horn, but there are many types of alchemy that seem better-suited to the task than love magic, specifically."

Cozy just shrugged again. "If I ever do get access to magic again, I want to guarantee it's as safe as possible. No more accidental black-magic rampages. And besides..." her cheeks tinted as she hesitated, "I guess I've started to understand love a bit more, lately, and it piqued my interest."

I snickered slightly, leaning down to her. "It's nothing to be embarrassed by that you love your mother, you know."

Cozy rolled her eyes, cheeks burning bright. "Uuugh, no sappy stuff, we're done, nope, no more of that!"

I laughed, and she snickered too after a moment, focusing back on the book. I gently levitated over the relevant ingredients with my magic. "Would you like to make an attempt at one of those necklaces, then?"

She took a deep breath, and leaned away from the book. "Yeah, I think I get it enough to at least try. Let's get started."

We set into our work in silence, efficiently setting up the alchemy area and prepping the ingredients. I was surprised at how adept she was; it was clear she'd had some experience with alchemy in the other world already, and she was quickly making up the gap in her skill caused by her change back into a pegasus.

This little one has been through far too many drastic lifestyle changes in too short of a period of time. I do hope nothing disrupts her again for a while... perhaps she might even put off the heroics and focus back on school, if we're fortunate. Then again, she's hardly neglecting her studies or her friendships, from what I've seen.

With that cheery thought, I started the first ingredients boiling. Cozy stared at the little cauldron pensively for a few moments before speaking up again.

"Celestia? Thank you for this. I know you don't remember the time we spent together before, so this must be really weird..."

I shifted my wings before responding. "A little, but I've come to see that every relationship and circumstance is different. Weird isn't bad. I'm delighted to have a niece who wants to learn more about magic, and who has so many interesting stories of her own to share."

Cozy giggled as she adjusted the temperature on the fire with the manual dials. "I guess I did get up to some crazy stuff."

I grinned slyly at her. "Is it true you took on Grogar, the Father of Monsters, by yourself? I'm positive I heard something about that."

Cozy rolled her eyes, cheeks coloring again. She's far more humble than I'd imagined.

"It wasn't by myself. Sunset helped me out, at least at first. Besides, I had your training and Luna's armor, and his magic – I had a lot of help, even from ponies who weren't physically there."

I cocked my head. "Most ponies would still take that as their own victory."

Cozy snorted in a distinctly unladylike fashion. "Well I'm definitely not like most ponies, and even when I was crazy and bent on taking over I knew that friendship is the greatest power a pony can have. It's not like I just forgot that because I had a horn."

I watched her carefully for a few moments as she worked, considering her words. "... If only more ponies didn't let themselves forget that fact simply because of personal power."

She snickered as she put another ingredient in carefully. "Are we talking about Twilight now, back in her pre-Ponyville days? I heard about that. From you, actually!"

I drew myself up into a regal pose. "Certainly not! I would never speak of my former student thus."

That got me a flat stare and an amused smirk. I just neutrally gazed back and said, "Clearly, I was referring to Starlight Glimmer."

Cozy considered that, and shot back, "Star Swirl the Bearded."

"Moon Dancer."

"I don't know who that is. Uhh... Sombra?"

I tapped my chin. "I'm not sure he ever knew the value of friendship to begin with... also, Trixie."

"Oo, juicy. I'll have to rib her about that later. Mom?"

It took me a second to realize she meant Luna. "Oh, I suppose she counts. Hrm. Sunset Shimmer."

Cozy froze up slightly at that. "G-good to know, I guess. I've kinda avoided asking her about her past at all. Umm... Chrysalis!"

I snickered. "Deep pull there, very impressive. Discord!"

"Which time?"

I shrugged, and she relented. "Yeah, fair enough. Umm... Tirek."

I considered that, ruffling my feathers a bit as I did so. "Did he truly value friendship before becoming power-crazed?"

Cozy nodded firmly, surprising me. "He really cared about his brother. And his father? I'm not clear on the details, but he threw it all away for power."

I frowned at that, shaking my head. "The sad path walked by many creatures, it seems. I suppose you would be more familiar with his case than I would."

Cozy quietly laid out the next few ingredients – it would be a while before we had to take further action – and looked up to study me quietly for a few moments before speaking again.

"What happened to Tirek, anyway? I know what Chrysalis is up to, but..."

I sighed. "Discord was unable to find even a single timeline where Tirek 'won' but would see the consequences of his actions. If he was left unchecked, in every case, Equestria was reduced to a wasteland... and Tirek never learned his lesson. He simply kept seeking power further afield, and inevitably fell to some hazard or other. Unending hunger for power, without any other motivation other than revenge on his brother... we have no idea how he might be redeemed."

Cozy grimaced and looked away at that, and I gently lowered myself down in front of her. She slowly looked back and met my gaze, and I said, as softly as I could, "Were you friends?"

She rubbed her head with a hoof and broke eye contact. "I don't know. He was... he could be nice to me sometimes, but usually he just brushed me off and treated me like baggage. But he also always expected me to succeed. It's hard to describe. He believed in me, and he took pride in my efforts, but he also didn't care about me, I think. I guess we were more like... colleagues?"

I nodded slowly, taking that in and considering her reaction. "And you're concerned for him?"

Cozy gave a few uncomfortable flaps of her wings, stretching them out as she looked back to me. "I mean, a little bit. I don't want him to be just... stuck forever. But I guess it's more selfish than that. I kinda have to wonder, what if I was the one who couldn't ever be redeemed? What if Discord had just given up on me? I dunno, I know it's wrong to worry about a monster like Tirek and I should just be happy I didn't end up the same way, but I can't help it."

I slowly unfurled a wing and spread it around Cozy. I suppose she still has a lot to learn about friendship. "Cozy, there's nothing wrong with wanting to help somepony, or putting yourself in their place. That's empathy. You're worried about him because you can relate to his situation, and you don't want a bad fate for him, even if he's not someone you care about personally. It's the same instinct that motivated Discord to free you and try his hardest to help you understand and live with us again."

I saw her ears flatten as she closed her eyes and laughed softly. "I didn't even think about that. I thought he just wanted to punish me into reforming me. But I still kinda realized it was for my own good. Somehow I just never put the pieces together to realize why he wanted to do something to help me."

Probably because she still struggles with the idea that other ponies genuinely care about her.

"It is often the case that we do not fully understand the motives of others until after the fact. Sometimes we need to live through the same things they did to grasp what motivated them. It's easy to judge others when you haven't had their experiences; harsh words said from a place of arrogance can come back to us like an ironic echo when we realize what they were going through."

Cozy opened her eyes and focused on me. I can see a strength in there I rarely find in one so young. "Is that why you haven't tried prying into my past, o-or judged me or lectured me on what I did?"

I nodded. "It's less my place to do so than it is Luna's, but in either case I can't pretend to understand what you've been through. I can only listen to what you tell me and make suggestions based on my own experiences."

Cozy chewed her lip for a moment. "Then... do you want to hear about my time as Quillon, in the other world?"

Yes!

I smiled. "Very much so."

Dogpile

View Online

Balancing on two legs is tricky enough without throwing all of this crazy stuff into it. Oh well, here goes!

"Like this?"

I dropped down on one leg and swept out, and the momentum carried me back up to standing quite easily. Altogether, I felt quite graceful, despite the freaky human form I was in.

Sunset clapped gently, but Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"That's really close, Cozy, but you have to go all the way down to your hip. If you lie down while doing it, you can draw a lot more power from the ground. Watch, I'll show you. Go ahead and try it again."

Rainbow Dash walked up to stand right in front of me. I bit my lip and focused; if she thought she could keep standing with that kind of kick, she had another thing coming!

I dropped down and swept out again, and my whole body rattled when my shin connected with her calf, stopping me cold. I took a second to shake my head and get my eyes to stop rattling around. Dash nodded confidently.

"See? Once you make contact, all of the power goes out of it. I mean, if your opponent is already unbalanced it can totally work, but if you want a sweep that is basically guaranteed to work on someone bigger than you it's going to have to be the lie-down version. You can still pop back up if you just kick hard enough."

I pulled back into a sitting position and rubbed my shin, listening intently. "Alright. I think I get it. As a pony, I'm used to having a really low center of gravity to work from. This human form is big on agility, but it's just so unstable. I keep thinking I'll have a lot more power than I really do."

Rainbow Dash just laughed at that. "That's what makes human martial arts so awesome! Though, I'd love to go see what kinds of stuff ponies have invented someday. You two will take me, right?"

Sunset and I shared a look, and we both shrugged. She was the one who commented, saying, "I don't see why not, though we should probably warn ponies first that there will be another Rainbow Dash walking around."

Dash fist-pumped. "Aww yeah! Alright, get back in your stance, Cozy! Take it from the top."

I stood up and took my stance, though I tended to hunch a bit more than the other students; I was just so determined to get a little more stability out of these human postures!

"You're sure you'll be okay, Dash?"

Rainbow nodded. "Don't worry, I've taken plenty of spills on this mat. I'll be just fine."

I closed my eyes and concentrated. This is a ground move. Get your human body to act like a pony; you want to get down to the ground, draw your power from it, and whip around. I've been in plenty of real fights! I just need to loosen up and treat this like that!

I took in a sharp breath, and then started to let it out slowly, feeling my whole body relax. As soon as I felt the tension go out of my legs, I started the movement, dropping straight down so fast I'd get hurt, but the kicking motion itself dragged me slightly away from the ground, mitigating the impact. I was back up and on my feet so quickly I barely registered contact with the mat.

I blinked. Wait, where's Rainbow—

"Oof! Wow! That was perfect! Great job, Cozy!"

I looked down to the source of the voice in confusion, and saw Rainbow Dash brushing herself off with a big grin on her face. Sunset walked up clapping. "Very impressive, Cozy! It took me a good bit longer to learn all of these moves."

I smiled at that, though I felt my cheeks burning. Stupid human skin, so sensitive! There's no fur to cover it up, either!

"Well, I mean, I have a lot of practice fighting, and training for fights..."

Dash hopped up and grinned wildly at me. "That's what Sunset's been telling us! You're some kind of superhero, right? You've gotta fill me in on all of that!"

I held up a hand and shook my head, though I couldn't get the grin off of my face. "I just used to be one, I haven't been able to do any of that since I lost my powers!"

Dash laughed at that, rolling her eyes. "Come on, we all know superheroes never stay de-powered unless they get married or something. I'm sure you'll be back at it in no time!"

I wanted to retort, but I couldn't.

After all, based on the comics I'd read, she was right.

So I just settled for a shrug. "Well, I guess we'll see, huh? I'm sure trying. And in the meantime, I can learn an entire new type of martial arts whenever I come over here to visit Sunset!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Soon, Dash will be seeing more of you than I do. Come on, let's go get cleaned up and get you back to Equestria."

The three of us started making our way to the lockers, trading small talk in the process. Dash caught me up short with a question, though.

"So, do you train like this over in Equestria with the other me? Is she a good instructor?"

I grimaced at that, looking away. "Actually... she doesn't really want anything to do with me, anymore. We were friends back when I was a superhero, but, well..."

Rainbow facepalmed. "Oh, right, the weird time-reset-thing you went through. So, what, you befriended her once but can't do it again?"

"Well... I kind-of befriended her when neither of us knew who I was. This time, she does know, I'm not a superhero, and she clearly remembers all of the awful things I did to her friends."

Rainbow grumbled as she retrieved her street clothes out of her locker. "Yeah, well, she's missing out. You're a real fighter, and it's clear you're trying to do better. I can't imagine how boring my life would be if I didn't give Sunset a chance because we had bad blood between us; she should think about that."

Sunset sighed. "She doesn't have a Sunset Shimmer to think about, Dash. They don't even know me over there – or, well, barely."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on, they must have some other folks who have done bad things and turned over a new leaf in Equestria, right?"

I nodded hurriedly. "Oh, yeah! Plenty. Luna, Discord, Starlight Glimmer, apparently even Trixie at some point..."

Dash held up her hands in a 'see what I mean?' gesture. It took me a second to figure out what it was supposed to be with hands instead of hooves. "See?! So what's the big deal?"

"Well... actually, that Rainbow isn't really close friends with any of those people. Starlight would be the closest of the bunch, but..."

Dash considered that, cupping her chin. A sly grin formed on her face. "Is that so? Hm. Well, we'll just see about that."

I raised an eyebrow in immediate suspicion. "Uh, Dash? What are you planning?"

Rainbow just shook her head. "Nuh-uh! Secret friendship plans stay secret until they stop being plans!"

Sunset and I both just stared at her. Dash looking between us. "What? Pinkie says it sometimes."

I facepalmed. "Of course she does."

I decided to let it go as I retrieved my clothing and headed to the changing stalls. I still couldn't get over how prevalent clothing was over here. Armor was one thing, but wearing clothes all the time...

It really made me uncomfortable.

Well, there's a reason for that, isn't there?

Not going there, right now. I'm supposed to be having fun with Sunset. Come on, focus!

I got changed in silence, and soon the three of us were on the walk back to Canterlot High. Sunset was the first one to speak among us.

"So, Cozy. Speaking of getting your powers back, I know you were putting effort into that... any luck?"

I shrugged, surprised by how little concern I felt about it. "Not yet, but it's a work in progress. I've been studying magic with Celestia, practicing alchemy with Applebloom, learning stage magic from Trixie, brushing up on martial arts... it's been a lot, even as-is. If I had power again I could use it way better than I did before."

Rainbow Dash clapped me on the back and grinned at me. "See, that's where the whole 'de-powered hero' stories really shine! The hero learns stuff they never would have if they still had their powers, and then they're all totally awesome once they get them back!"

I grinned back. "I hope so. Life isn't just like a comic book, but that would be really cool. And power really can distract you from putting in the work you need to improve in other areas."

Sunset barked out a laugh. "Tell me about it! I was so obsessed with magical power when I was younger, it pretty much blocked everything else out. I'm actually happier without it."

I mimicked Rainbow's gesture, laughing and clapping Sunset on the back. "Well you're so awesome you don't even need—Sunset?"

Sunset had frozen in place on contact with me, her eyes glowing white. I leaned back in surprise, but Dash's arm caught my shoulder and braced me.

"Don't worry, Cozy. That's just Sunset's 'thing'. Give her a sec."

Thing? What thing? Sunset has a thing? That's Equestrian magic!

Sunset's eyes stopped glowing, and she staggered slightly before steadying herself. I just looked between her and Rainbow, and I saw Sunset grimacing at me.

"Sorry, Cozy. I, uh, I should have mentioned that I do still have a little bit of magic, here. It's connected to this geode..." she tapped her necklace. I frowned slightly.

"Oh, so you have an artifact. I guess that makes sense. But what happened? Did I hurt you?"

"No! No, no, I'm fine. It's just, sometimes, when I touch someone, I get a sort of... imprint of them. Of their memories. Usually whatever is on their mind at the time."

I froze on the spot. "You, uh... you read minds?"

Oh no. Nopony deserves to be forced to take a look at this mess.

Sunset held up a hand and grimaced. "I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional, it just—"

"I'm not worried about that! Are you okay? I, uh, it wasn't anything really bad was it?"

Sunset paused, and lowered her hand. "No... no, it was fine. I just saw you, um, hanging out with your brother."

I felt a sensation like an anvil dropping in my gut, and froze on the spot.

She saw my... old family?

Sunset and I just stared at each other for a few seconds, and I realized she was worried she had offended me. I quashed my thoughts and sucked in a breath.

"Okay. Well, let's keep going."

I thumbed over at the school – one of the perks of the human form – and got moving, quickly. It took a couple of seconds for the other two to catch up. Sunset fidgeted, but I waved a hand at her.

"Don't worry about it."

"Really...? Because—"

"I don't like talking about it. I don't like thinking about it. But you didn't mean to dig into that, and I'm not mad at you. Accidents happen. Anyway, it's not important anymore."

I could tell she didn't like that. I knew she wouldn't before I even said it. But she still kept quiet about it, and I was grateful for that.

At that point it was all I could do to quash all of the memories trying to come back at me at once.

I'm supposed to be having fun with Sunset. Come on, come on, focus, focus!

"So, uh, Sunset? You said you couldn't come over to Equestria too often, but it's fine if I visit like this, right?"

Sunset fidgeted. "Well, everyone in the school knows about the portal, so at this point it's not like we need to keep it too much of a secret. Still, we try to keep it closed most of the time, to prevent accidents and problems... but yeah, it should be okay to come through as long as you let Starlight know, first. She's the one running the castle now, after all. Eheheh..."

Okay, awkward, but progress!

We reached the portal at that point, and I stood next to it as I spoke.

"Okay, great! Well, I had a lot of fun tonight, so I'll want to do this again soon. I mean, as long as you're up for it too, Dash?"

Dash, who had grown quiet ever since things got awkward, perked up at that. "You know it! Any time!"

I smiled at her and turned back to Sunset, who reached out for my shoulder, but then pulled her hand back and dropped it.

She's worried I don't trust her to touch me.

Well, you don't.

Oh yeah?

I stepped up and gave her a hug. I almost threw us both to the ground – stupid unstable human frame – and I heard an 'oof' come from her, but I could tell she was smiling when I felt her hands on my neck and back and heard her voice.

"Take care, Cozy. I had fun, too. See you next time."

Rainbow Dash leaned on the frame of the portal shortly after Cozy stepped through, staring at me hard. "What was that all about? What happened with her brother?"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "I have no idea! They seemed happy in the memory I saw!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Then why all the sudden drama?! I thought something awful must have happened!"

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. "That's just it, Dash. She never talks about her family. She acts like they never existed, and she hates it whenever someone brings them up. Something awful must have happened, but I have no idea what, or what to do about it. If we should do anything at all!"

Dash chewed her cheek and raised an eyebrow at me, watching me for a few seconds. I finally just sighed and flopped my hands to my sides. "What?"

"Sunset, I know you're really concerned and all, but all I saw tonight was a happy young girl who is really trying to go places with her life. And yeah, she got into superheroics or whatever, and she was a villain before that, but that's not really a big deal in our group."

My mouth opened, and then flew shut as I scratched my head. "Huh."

"Yeah, see what I mean? So I don't really get why you want to go poking in her oh-so-mysterious bad past, or whatever. I mean, I know you have your reasons, and I'm not saying you shouldn't, just... that's what it looks like to me."

I smiled and scratched the back of my head as I thought it over. "Well... you're not wrong, Dash. And I'm not really that eager to dig into her past, I just want to make sure she's really alright."

Dash shrugged with a grin. "Seemed pretty strong to me. The way you'd talked about her, I expected her to go to pieces at the drop of a hat, but she barely missed a beat when you accidentally dug into her head. I think even I would have freaked out more about that. So what's there to worry about?"

I sighed, folding my hands behind my head and looking at the stars as I tried to put it into words. "I just can't shake the feeling that she's like a cracked sculpture. She seems strong and stable, but if just the wrong thing happens..."

Dash huffed. "What, she'll snap? I dunno, Sunset. I mean, you know her better than I do, but she seems like she's got her sights set straight forward like a train. Hard to imagine what it would take to make her veer off-course."

My mind brought up the image of a damaged rail-line causing a train to go flying into a ravine, but I pushed the imagery down. Dash is right. If I let this eat at me, it will just make it harder to be there for Cozy and make things worse in the first place. We should let things be until she's properly settled.

I sighed and smiled. "Yeah, I think you've got the right idea. You know how I can get; stuck on an idea until I've explored it completely."

Dash snickered. "I remember your pony-up lab tests, yeah. But hey, if you want to help Cozy, you should help me with my totally awesome secret friendship plan!"

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I thought it had to stay secret?"

"Duh, that's why you'll have to keep it secret!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Oh, is that all? Alright, so what's the plan?"

Dash leaned against the base of the mascot statue and smirked at me. "Oh, it's nothing big. I just want to head over to Equestria and have a chat with other-me. Strictly Dash-Dash business, you understand."

I smirked back at her. "You realize she's kicked a dragon in the face and saved Equestria multiple times, right? I don't think you're going to be able to just tell her to be friends with Cozy and have it stick."

Dash closed her eyes and held her hands out. "Sunset, Sunset, you underestimate me. We Dashes, we speak a language all our own."

I snickered. "You realize I have actually met her, right? I technically know her better than you do."

"Pfft. You know what I think of technicalities. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes again and flopped my hands down as I shook my head. "Alright, Dash. We'll give it a try. Just don't start an interdimensional incident, okay?"

Dash snorted. "Who wants that kind of paperwork? That would involve paperwork, right?"

I facepalmed, laughing. "Oh yes, I'm sure. Lots and lots of forms to read and sign."

"Well then, I guess you can trust me to be on my best behavior!"

I thumbed over to a nearby cafe. "Alright, hero. You want to get something to eat before I write to Starlight about your friendship plan?"

Dash's stomach rumbled audibly. She stared at it, and then looked back to me. "I'm thinking 'yes' on the food thing."

We started off towards the cafe, and had made it to the sidewalk before I heard the sound of the portal activating behind me. I called out in surprise. "Cozy? Forgot something?"

Starlight Glimmer rounded the portal base, following the sound of my voice, to my surprise.

"Oh, good, you're still here! Sunset, we need to talk about Cozy. Can you spare a few minutes?"

She gestured back at the portal, and I realized she wanted us to follow her through. I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Can't we discuss it here? Or, at the diner we were heading to?"

Starlight grimaced. "Well, we could, but there's—"

I heard the portal go off again, and I walked around to see what was going on. Twilight was standing there with Celestia – dressed in a tasteful and elegant white ballgown that was absolutely not like anything I'd seen the principal wear – looking around at Canterlot High. Twilight stuck her hands on her hips and smiled. "Barely changed!"

Starlight groaned. "... other ponies who want to discuss it, too."

I looked at everyone there, my eyes widening. "Why would Twilight and Celestia be here? Did something bad happen?"

Starlight smiled uneasily. Oh, no. What did you do?

I was about to give voice to my question when the portal shimmered, and Luna stepped through, wearing a killer blue dress that shimmered in the moonlight. I sighed.

"This way, everypony."

Starlight laughed uneasily as I began leading the entourage to the diner.

Starlight was laughing uneasily, sitting across from me in the diner.

I did not feel any amusement whatsoever.

I am not amused.

"I am not amused, Starlight Glimmer."

I slowly raised my hands and set them on the table, steepling my fingers. I wasn't sure if this was the gesture I was going for, but it seemed appropriate.

"Sunset Shimmer informed you of an errant memory of my daughter's that she inadvertently saw. She gave you the information necessary to find Cozy Glow's birth parents. You then did so, without informing me of any of this, and in so doing informed her abusive birth-mother that she was no longer, in fact, entrapped in stone. She then made it abundantly clear to you that she fully intends to reconnect with my daughter, and you stalled for time by saying you needed to confer with Twilight Sparkle in regards to the, as it turns out, entirely legitimate removal of her children. Have I left anything out?"

Starlight sighed and cast her gaze down at the table, rubbing her forehead. "Only the part where I promised Sunset I'd make sure to keep Cozy safe in the process and then blew it. Think that's everything."

I stared daggers at the woman across from me, but started slightly when I felt Celestia's hand on my back. Her voice carried to me softly, those dulcet tones she used whenever she needed to quell an argument.

"Sister, you and I both know Starlight only wished to help Cozy. While I am also displeased at how this has been handled—" the slight increase in tension from her hand and ever-so-slight emphasis in her sentence was sufficient to tell me that her 'displeasure' took the form of 'wrath that would lay waste to a kingdom unchecked' "—we must accept this honest mistake for what it is. Besides which, Starlight intends to go and see this 'Bright Eyes' again in a couple of days, and I doubt we will have difficulty keeping her away from Cozy Glow if it comes down to it."

I sighed slightly in relief, feeling the support of my sister both physically and emotionally. It reassured me greatly to know she was on my side in this, and I felt some of my own anger at this turn of events ebb in turn.

"Very well. And I do appreciate your intentions, Starlight Glimmer. But in matters concerning my daughter, you will keep me informed in the future."

Starlight nodded hurriedly, her expression pained. "Of course! Honestly, I meant to tell you before, but between being swamped with the school and the lead on Dodge City coming up last-minute, I didn't think it would do any harm to stop by and speak with the mare first. I should have taken Sunset's warning more seriously."

I considered this, watching the woman closely for a few moments before responding. I knew it would serve no purpose but to harm her for me to push any further, and I decided to relent. "I do appreciate how difficult it can be to balance one's duties to both station and personal matters. I believe you will grow into the role you have been given, in time, Starlight. Such mistakes are natural."

Starlight took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. "Thank you, Princess. As much as I'd like to spend some time getting to know the 'new' Cozy Glow, I just haven't had the time to focus on one ex-student; we still have a school full of them, and with midterms coming up... it's been a lot."

Celestia laughed slightly at that. "Oh, yes. New faculty and midterms; I do remember that recurring catastrophe. Just remember, Starlight; everypony goes through it, and it will pass."

I smirked. The memory of one particularly bad semester came to me; Celestia, with her mane still a mess from bed, struggling to stay awake through breakfast, and her aide Raven begging me to assist with her duties for the day.

But now is not the time.

I took a stiff breath, wiping the expression from my face, and turned my gaze towards Sunset. The girl had been quiet, hugging her jacket around herself and staying in the corner of the booth. She watched the street through the diner window, seemingly oblivious to our conversation. I cleared my throat. "Sunset?"

Sunset slowly turned to look to me. There was a depth of concern in her eyes I found unsettling. "Mm? Yes, Princess?"

"What are your thoughts on all of this?"

Sunset hesitated, and then shrugged, exhaling sharply. "I don't really know what to make of it. I didn't get a good enough look at Cozy's memories to know for sure what happened; just that there was a lot of pain she was trying to forget. I've never seen memories that distorted or buried before..."

She sighed and looked back out of the window, continuing in a lower tone. "Should I have dug deeper? Should I just leave it alone? I really don't know."

I lowered my hands, watching the girl intently. "I cannot claim to fully understand your power, Sunset, but your reaction to all of this surprises me. If you will forgive me for saying so, you seem far more concerned than I would think was warranted."

Rainbow Dash leaned over the booth divider behind Sunset, where she and Twilight seemed to be racing each other to eat a more obscene amount of food. "That's what I told her! So Cozy's got some nasty baggage, so what? She seems happy enough now!"

I frowned at that. "While I don't agree with the blasé attitude, I must concede Rainbow Dash's general point. Sunset?"

Sunset raised her hands as though holding an object, turning back to face me and grimacing. "It's like... I don't know how to express it. When I use my power, I share the feelings of the person whose memories I view. And in Cozy's case, it wasn't just old pain or bad memories, but more like a... dread." Sunset dropped her hands and shook her head. "It's sort of like a nightmare, just under the surface, just waiting for her to look at it. Even her happy memory of her brother seemed tainted by it. And I guess I just haven't shaken off that dread, yet. Just coming into contact with it was pretty bad, so I don't know how she handles having it in there all the time."

The entire table was quiet for a few moments, before Dash – still leaning over the divider, and now staring at Sunset with wide eyes – broke the silence. "Whoa. Dude, you did not mention that before."

Sunset threw her hands up in frustration. "I didn't know how! I've never dealt with this before. I don't even know what this is. And I hate that it hangs over us every time I try to hang out with her! I like hanging out with her! But ever since that first time I saw her memories, I've just been on edge, wondering if something is going to go horribly wrong. Now I know how Celestia used to feel dealing with me!"

Sunset turned back to look out the window, a stern frown on her face, and silence descended on the table again. I struggled to think of what to say, what I could possibly express to bridge the gap in our feelings, but no words came to me.

Then Twilight's voice echoed from the next booth over. "Hah! First to ten! Pay up, Dash!"

Sunset facepalmed and laughed despite herself at that, and the tension over us all broke.

The rest of the evening passed by far more amicably, as we focused on more pleasant topics. I was pleased to see Twilight and Sunset Shimmer catching up; I knew all too well how the duties of rulership can strain friendships, but Twilight was putting forth a significant effort in that regard, even with a friend as distant as Sunset Shimmer.

Inwardly, I also wished to see more of Twilight, but there would be all the time in the world for us to catch up after she had settled into her new role. Instead, much of my attention was spent in discussion with Starlight Glimmer. As it happened, she had taken a keen interest in dream magic, and I was more than happy to share my insights with her on the topic. We were so caught up in our discussion that I only barely noticed when Sunset and Celestia lagged behind our troupe as we approached the portal once more.

I glanced between them and Starlight, and gestured for her to go on. "I will be along shortly; I wish to support my sister in this."

Starlight looked past me to where Sunset and Celestia were engaged in discussion, and then nodded to me. "Yeah... I get the feeling that's been a long time coming. I'll see you on the other side."

Inexperienced, perhaps, but she must be credited for her awareness.

I moved over to my sister's side, just in time to hear the tail end of her conversation with Sunset.

"... I don't want you to think I saw you that way, Sunset."

"Sorry, Princess. I know that wasn't exactly tactful of me, it's just—"

My sister held her hand out to Sunset, face neutral. Sunset trailed off as she looked at the hand, then back to Celestia, and I saw comprehension dawn on her.

"Are you saying you want me to...?"

Sunset reached up uncertainly, and my sister nodded. The young girl tentatively took Celestia's hand in hers, and her eyes shot wide and glowed white, while my sister merely closed her eyes and lost herself in thought. I swiftly moved beside Sunset, anticipating the need.

It took only a few moments, but I had seen Sunset's power many times over the past few moons; I knew that for the process to take this long meant she was taking in a truly staggering amount of information. In a literal sense, for when the spell ended, Sunset's knees buckled; I caught her, balancing the young girl on my arms until she shook herself free from her reverie enough to stand. She nodded her thanks to me before turning back to Celestia, who opened her eyes and smiled down at her softly.

Sunset stammered for a few moments before she managed to speak. "Oh, Celestia, I didn't know—I had no idea..."

My sister shrugged – most uncharacteristic of her, I noted, but it was a trying moment – and spoke softly. "It's over, now. It's okay, Sunset."

Sunset surged forward to embrace her former mentor, and I let out a deep sigh of relief.

One does not need to spend long around either of these two to understand the folly of letting pride get in the way of love.

The two embraced for some time, while I simply folded my arms, smiled, and waited. Twilight and Starlight had already passed through the portal, while Rainbow Dash had already left for her home; the only one to bear witness to the end of this years-long foolishness was me, but I felt that was just as well.

At length, the two parted, and Sunset looked up at my sister with tears streaming down her face.

"I never meant to put you through all of that. I didn't believe... I didn't think you even cared. I'm so sorry."

Celestia frowned and shook her head. "Sunset, what I wanted you to see was that even when our relationship was strained, I always loved you. You were never simply a burden to me, and I should never have lost my temper with you. We hurt each other, and I want us to move past that now."

Sunset smiled widely, nodding, and clasped my sister's hands in hers. My sister smiled back, and they stayed like that another few moments before Sunset let her go, and bashfully started wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess, heh."

My sister snickered. "You know full well I was no better after those same memories. If it's... not too much trouble, would you be comfortable with my visiting you here, from time to time?"

Sunset's laughter rang out over the empty courtyard, and brought a smile to my face. "Of course! Of course! I never thought you would want to!"

I laughed at that, catching their attention and rolling my eyes. "Oh, my sister has wanted to do so since you first ran away, Sunset! She simply never worked up the nerve to broach the subject."

My sister was aghast, her indifferent facade shattered. "Luna!"

I shook my head and strode towards the portal, waving her after me. "Come, sister. The portal cannot remain open all night, and you can come back whenever you wish."

I heard my sister's disgruntled muttering behind me and smiled broadly as I stepped through the portal, careful not to trip over myself as I emerged on the other side. My sister stepped through as well, sparing me one haughty glance before a 'Hmph!', complete with hair-toss. I kept pace with her as she tried to strut away, and bumped my haunch against hers, eliciting a gasp.

She stared at me incredulously for a moment, and I just smirked at her. "It is, as they say, about damned time, sister."

For a moment, I thought Celestia would bury me with one of her classic retorts. Instead, my eyes shot wide as she pressed into me, wrapping me in those enormous wings of hers and pressing her muzzle into my barrel. I heard a mixture of laughter and sobbing coming from her, and slowly wrapped my hooves around her, pulling her tight. I sighed and smiled as I spoke softly into her ear.

"I was wondering how long you could keep it up."

"Sh—shut up, Lulu."

I spied Starlight coming around the corner, a hoof raised and mouth open. She spotted what was happening and just slowly set her hoof down with a smile.

Credit for awareness, indeed.

Starlight just mouthed 'about damned time' silently to me, and crept away silently.

As I held my sister, I reflected on the incredible good fortune our family had found in the past decade. Where Celestia once stood alone, carrying the burden of an entire country on her back, she now had her sister, I now had a daughter, she had reconnected with the closest thing she had to a daughter herself... and we had both begun to make new friends.

"You're no longer alone, sister."

Celestia shuddered, pulling me tighter.

No Moping During Chill Time

View Online

I hope this doesn't go half as awkwardly as meeting her mother did...

As I made my way up to Princess Luna's new house on the outskirts of Ponyville, I kept running through worst-case scenarios in my mind.

Take it easy, Glimmer! Really, what are the odds that Cozy has a magical doom-portal just waiting for you to stumble into when you get there?

5% at most? Come on.

As I crested the last foothill and their house came back into sight, I tried to put on a charming smile with only a moderate level of cringe attached.

Sure hope Luna's not there, awake, and still angry about my little slip-up. But come on, what are the odds of all three being true at once?

It turned out I was working myself up about nothing – gee, I wonder what pony taught me to do that – as Luna was nowhere in sight, while Cozy was just quietly sitting on a bench on the side of the house, reading over a book.

I still haven't gotten over how much she's grown. And, aww, she's got cute little reading glasses!

I reminded myself that the adorable, harmless-looking filly had nearly hurled me into another dimension. Suddenly, the glasses seemed less cute.

Well, time to bite the bullet, 'Headmare' Glimmer.

I trotted up and was about to comment, but as Cozy glanced up from her book I realized what she was reading and was caught short. I actually had a genuine smile, this time.

"Hey there, Cozy. Is that the Friendship Journal you're reading?"

Cozy nodded hurriedly, but spoke in a neutral tone that matched her expression. "Yep. I was trying to get a better handle on the Elements of Harmony."

Well that's... good, right? There's no way the power of harmony could be used for evil, right?

Right? Naww, no way.

I took in a deep breath and tried to look casual as I glanced around. "Soooo... any luck?"

Cozy gave a shrug that spoke of boredom. "Not really. There's some insightful stuff, but most of it just seems really obvious."

I recoiled slightly at that. "Wait, really? You find friendship lessons obvious?"

Cozy smirked at me. "I've been called a lot of things, but 'bad at making friends'? Really?"

I facehoofed.

"Right, guess I walked right into that one. Of course you'd understand that stuff."

Cozy sighed and closed the book, setting it aside. "It's not like I haven't learned anything from it. And it's not a bad read, anyway. It's just that... well, the core idea is just, 'care about somepony's wellbeing and your relationship with them. Strategize your actions around that.' Not really all that hard."

I snorted. "I guess strategy is your special talent, so that makes sense. Does that mean you've been having an easy time getting along with everypony?"

Cozy laughed, rubbing her head. "Well, no, not really. A lot of ponies are still really mad at me, and I don't really blame them for that. I'm still really mad at me. Besides, I think I struggle with that 'care about your relationship with them' part most of all."

Wow... I definitely haven't ever had a conversation this real with her before. Discord and Luna were right, she has changed a lot.

I trotted over and sat down next to her on the bench, and gave her a sly look. "Is that why you haven't even come by to say 'hello' to me since you got back?"

Heh, I know she's been busy, but it doesn't hurt to rib on somepony a little.

To my surprise, Cozy nodded slowly. "The 'mad at me' part, yeah. I figured you wouldn't want to see me ever again, if you could get out of it."

My jaw dropped and I frantically waved a hoof in objection. "What? No! Cozy, you and I were friends before! I worked with Discord for moons on those timeline spells to help you come around because I wanted to be friends again!"

Cozy sighed, taking off her glasses and setting them aside with the journal. "That figures. It seems like I keep thinking ponies will be mad at me when they're not, and finding new ways to mess things up."

I bumped her shoulder with a hoof, jostling her out of her funk and getting her attention. "What can I say? We bad girls, we gotta stick together."

Cozy snickered at that. "What, like you, me, Sunset, and Trixie?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hey, now, don't forget about your mom. Luna was quite the bad girl once upon a time!"

Cozy rolled her eyes with a grin. "Oh, right. So that's what, five of us?"

"That's right! We just need to reform Chrysalis and we can be the new, cooler Elements of Harmony!"

Cozy started laughing at that, facehoofing. "The bad girls group! Oh, jeez. Talk about power teams. The six of us could take over Equestria overnight."

I bumped her shoulder again with a smile. "And don't you doubt it! Obviously we'd need to get Twilight out of the way first, but I'm sure you'd come up with something."

Cozy grinned up at me. "Oh, no, that won't do. You've gotta leave Twilight in place while you mess everything else up, so you can see her totally freak out about it. Otherwise, what's the point? I mean, that is why we all cause trouble in the first place; her reactions are too priceless to pass up."

I thought back to Twilight's freak-out when I had tried to get my revenge, and how funny I had found it, and I almost choked with laughter. "Oh my stars, you're right! I don't think she even realizes how funny she looks from the other side!"

"And don't forget the dumb friendship speech right before she and her friends put a stop to it all! You could set a clock by those things, seriously."

I flailed my hooves. "This coming from the filly trying to study an actual book about friendship?!"

"That's not the same! Fire safety's really important, but you don't go lecturing a forest fire about proper dousing procedure before putting it out!"

I flopped back in the chair, resting my head against the house and getting a good bit of laughter in. Once I could breathe again I just shook my head with a grin. "The look on her face when I interrupted her friendship speech in my village was priceless. I wish I'd found some way to get an image of that."

Cozy giggled. "That'd make a nice new stained-glass window someplace. Just have a giant mural of Twilight gawking."

I rolled my eyes. "Her wings were still a bit new to her, and it really showed. The way they flared out when she was surprised made her look like a startled goose."

"Hey!" Cozy suddenly fixed me with a serious look, and for a second I wondered if I had done something wrong. Then her mouth started straining against her control to grin. "Friends shouldn't compare other friends to random animals. Pretty sure there's an entire lesson in here about that somewhere; how else could they pad out this much text?"

I pictured that for a moment and groaned. " 'Dear Princess Celestia, today I set off a war with yakyakistan by comparing their leader to an angry goat... send help...' "

Cozy Glow brought a hoof up to her chin in faux contemplation. "But wouldn't it be Spike who would make that comparison? Unless Applejack could work it into a saying somehow, like," and for this she put on the most ridiculous drawl I'd ever heard, " 'E's madder 'an a honey-soaked goat in an anthill,' or something."

I snorted at that and rolled my eyes, grinning. "I wish I could deny that. She's a friend, so I wish I could. But it's so true!"

Cozy smirked and leaned against the bench armrest with one hoof. "If it was Fluttershy, a comparison to an animal would probably be meant as a compliment."

I nodded and whimsically considered the idea. "Rainbow Dash isn't big on metaphors in general."

"Wouldn't that be a simile if they say somepony is 'like' an animal?"

I gave her a flat look. "Similes are a type of metaphor."

Cozy grinned at my reaction. "I know."

"Oh, you're incorrigible."

"Hey! I'm totally corrigible!"

I paused, my eyes going slightly crossed as I processed that. "Wait... is that a word?"

Cozy nodded. "Yep. I looked it up just for that."

I smirked and leaned against the opposite side of the bench, and together we were just a cool pair of customers. "I guess that's something we have in common, then. Corrigibility."

Cozy grinned at me. "I'm very chalant about the whelming corrigibility we possess."

Ow.

"My brain hurts now."

"Well, I do have to be honest, my last statement was untruthful."

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

She stuck her tongue out. " 'Chalant' isn't actually a word."

I groaned, tapping my head against the building. "You've turned into a dark-humor, chilled-out version of Twilight Sparkle. Equestria can't handle two of you."

"There can be only one!" She made some sort of bat-swing motion with her hooves, and I furrowed my brow in confusion and gestured at her.

"What was that all about?"

Cozy flushed slightly and shrugged. "Nevermind, just a joke Sunset told me about."

I took a deep breath and just let the moment pass in silence.

This is nice. Somehow, Cozy's even better company now that her true colors have come out. It doesn't really feel like talking to a foal at all.

After just engaging in a little 'chill time', as Dash put it, I put voice to something I'd been wondering. "So why were you studying the Elements of Harmony, anyway? I assume you aren't actually planning on a bad-girl takeover."

Cozy smirked and huffed at that. "As if! You and Trixie would fight over the element of magic for sure."

"Oh? And what would you be, little filly?"

Cozy stopped short, and frowned, glancing away. "Oh, uhh... I guess I wouldn't really be good at any of them."

I cringed slightly. Way to step in it, Starlight. "Cozy, I didn't mean—"

She waved me off. "It's alright. It's true, though... I lied to and betrayed everypony, I tend to be a sourpuss, and I don't naturally go out of my way to help anypony. And it's not like I have any magic."

"Well..." I shrugged. "You just have to practice. I was an awful friend when I first came here; I'm pretty sure a smart filly like you will figure it out in no time."

Cozy nodded. "Well, that's the idea. And that's part of why I'm studying... the other part is that I was hoping to charge this miniature crystal heart necklace I made with Celestia."

She opened the journal and lifted a tiny replica crystal heart she had been using as a bookmark. It dangled from her hoof; it was very pretty, but lacked the internal light of the genuine article.

"Oh, wow. You're saying this thing has the same properties as the real crystal heart? It's barely bigger than a cherry."

Cozy nodded. "Yeah, it's the same principle, but I can't make a bigger one than this. Whoever made the Crystal Heart really knew their stuff; the recipe gets a lot more complex the bigger it gets, and it takes a lot of powerful magic to hold it all together if you make something bigger than this."

I chuckled as I took the tiny necklace onto my hoof and analyzed it. "Well, it is considered an irreplaceable relic of the Crystal Empire, but this is still really impressive, Cozy. I think the legend of the Crystal Heart said it was actually formed from the crystallized devotion of the ponies who founded the empire; made through sheer magic, basically. How did you make this?"

Cozy facehoofed. "Of course, that would be way more straightforward. I made this with alchemy!"

I studied the shiny bauble in my hoof. "Huh. I didn't know you could do something like that with alchemy. I need to study that more! I remember hearing from Discord you'd spent some time with Zecora in the other timeline. I guess that paid off."

Cozy sighed wistfully. "Yeah, she got me started. I wish I could think of a good way to connect with her here, but she was all business last time I stopped by for ingredients. It's just so weird seeing a pony you remember as a friend, and they just don't recognize you at all."

I frowned as I hoofed the necklace back over. "I'm sorry about that, Cozy."

She carefully put the necklace on around her neck as she responded. "Don't be. The life I had over there was better than I deserved, even with the forgotten friendships."

I sighed and considered. "You know, studying friendship and the magic of harmony won't help you charge that necklace. Love magic is a much more primal, fundamental force than the Elements of Harmony."

Her brows knit in confusion at that. "Wait, what? I thought the magic of love and the magic of harmony were the same thing!"

I shook my head. "The Elements of Harmony are a delicate balance of a lot of different kinds of magic. They're sort of... the ultimate expression of magic itself. Taking the whole spectrum of positive or righteous emotions and weaving them together into something that asserts harmony... kind of like how friendship can bind together all sorts of very different individuals into a harmonious, unified group."

Cozy chewed her cheek over for a moment as she thought that over. "But if that's true, shouldn't love be one of the elements of harmony?"

I took a deep, slow breath, savoring the chance to teach some of what I knew to a student directly. "It is, but it's more complex than that. Loyalty is a direct expression of a kind of love... but generosity and kindness can express aspects of those feelings, too. The two are interrelated, made of similar components, but harmony itself is a more complex and complete expression of magic."

Cozy took that in quietly, contemplative. It took several seconds for her to reply.

"I guess that's why Twilight talks about friendship and magic theory so much. She's really pretty incredible, huh?"

I nodded slowly. "She really is. She became a princess by inventing a whole new school of magic theory – she completed a spell of Starswirl the Bearded's using the principles of harmony rather than any known type of magic. Before her, the Elements of Harmony were seen as a mysterious force, barely even understood by their creators, which could be harnessed in a direct fashion, but... not really understood or tinkered with. So far, she's the only one to get that far."

Cozy shook her head, smirking. "Magic is awfully complicated, especially without a horn to harness it with to test it all out for yourself. There's so many types. Dark magic, harmony magic, love magic, chaos magic..."

I considered that, and shrugged. "It's probably better not to fixate too much on trying to split it into groups like that. I mean, those terms are helpful, sure, don't get me wrong! But the thing is, magic is just an expression of willpower – your feelings and what you believe in. If what you feel and believe in is something vicious and dark, it comes out that way... and if you believe in love, that's the kind of magic you end up with. Most unicorns just apply direct willpower to cast our spells, without a lot of emotional input, but it still comes out sometimes. Chaos magic tends to come out of unconstrained creativity; it's hard to categorize that as an emotion, but Pinkie Pie seems to get it."

Cozy snorted at that, but then her gaze became downcast. "And what if you don't believe in anything?"

I set my jaw. "Then you're dead. Because everypony believes in something, Cozy; they just sometimes don't know what, or can't admit it. You believe in yourself, or you wouldn't be studying; you believe in Luna, or you wouldn't be staying with her. Don't even entertain that kind of thinking. Trust me; doesn't lead anywhere good."

Cozy smiled softly up at me. "I guess I can't mope near you, huh?"

I grinned. "Nope! No moping during chill time. Wise words from a wise mare."

Cozy rolled her eyes. "Riiiight. Well, fair enough."

We sat in companionable silence for a few seconds, and something she said came back to me. "Say, Cozy? I know you got used to being an alicorn in the other world... and I guess it's been hard for you to lose your horn since then, huh?"

Cozy gave me a flat look and held a hoof out at me. "Seriously? Of course! Not to mention losing the extra strength and sensitivity from Earth Pony magic. I used that stuff for a lot of my fighting techniques! I never realized how powerless I was without magic until I got stuck back like this."

I frowned. "Well... I know that things are different, now, but it's not like you don't have any magic. You're still a pegasus."

Cozy snorted. "Whoo. I can fly – pretty well, actually, thanks to all of that training – and I can walk on clouds. I'm not going to drive off villains or monsters with that alone."

"Well... maybe not, but you're pretty smart, and you're studying alchemy. Trixie also told me about your practice at legerdemain. Some of Equestria's heroes had less to work with than you do, so don't sell yourself short. But... what I was actually talking about is, not all magic requires a horn."

Cozy started slightly and leaned in, intently. "Wait, you mean that it's possible to, like... cast spells without a horn? How?"

I folded my forehooves, considering how best to put this. "Well, a unicorn's horn is just a focus for the magic inside. It lets us put that energy out into the world directly. Earth ponies tend to concentrate their magic internally, which is what gives them greater strength and connection with the world around them on average. Pegasi are a bit different; they put magic into the world with how they move their bodies. Like Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom, for instance; that's the most potent demonstration of pegasus magic out there."

Cozy rubbed her head, looking distinctly irritated. "But that doesn't make sense. I mean, you can say that a pegasus can put out magic in motion, but it's not like we can create laser blasts or deflection shields with our wings!"

I opened my mouth and closed it immediately, realizing my mistake.

Right, she was fighting a LOT in the other timeline. She's focused entirely on combat magic, not magic as some kind of abstract concept. Well... hmm...

"Maybe not, but the Wonderbolts create electrical cloud-streams where they fly. I've seen Dash casually spin off twisters with her wings that blast clouds away; with more effort those could deflect quite a few things. I've also seen her create a concentrated electrical discharge that makes an explosion just by performing a high-speed loop while generating a lot of electrical clouds at once. I don't think she's ever really thought about applying that stuff to fighting – or, not very hard, at least – but who knows?"

Somehow, Cozy seemed even more agitated. "But if that's true, why doesn't anypony use it?! Why don't pegasus warriors just create tornadoes and stormclouds or learn to harness their magic like unicorns?"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Cozy, I don't know if you realize this, but most ponies aren't really interested in becoming powerful fighters. Most unicorns barely learn any magic besides basic object manipulation; even Rarity is considered a high-class mage by the standards of the average unicorn, because of her finesse and ability to manipulate many objects in concert. Unicorns like me, and like Twilight, are really rare, and neither of us has put a lot of effort into combat magic. I mean, I learned to fly using my magic – which itself is an incredibly rare spell – and how to raise a crystal shield, and those two skills were almost enough on their own to fight Twilight to a standstill."

Cozy leaned back on the arm of the bench, shaking her head in sheer stupefaction. "I don't get it. Just that? Isn't Twilight insanely powerful?"

I shrugged. "Sure. But, I mean... it wasn't like we were trying to kill each other, and combat isn't really a good time for big, complicated spells. So most unicorns fight using the simplest, most direct stuff in their arsenal... and like I said, most ponies aren't fighters at all. Even those of us with combat experience don't exactly spend a lot of time going out and deliberately training in combat magic."

I saw her chewing her lip over. Wow, she really didn't realize any of this, huh? I guess she just assumed everyone else was as concerned as she was with power.

"It just doesn't make sense. Villains and monsters show up pretty often in Equestria... and whenever they do, somepony has to go and fight them. Why wouldn't you put all of your effort into preparing for that?"

I glanced aside, taking a deep, steadying breath. "Because if we spend all of our time focusing on fighting, then we give up the whole thing we're fighting to protect; a peaceful, harmonious society. Twilight had the right idea with the school; the best thing we can do to defend ourselves is forge bonds with everycreature else in the world. But when conflict does come to us... well, you and I know from experience, there's nothing that will overcome the power of friendship."

Cozy considered that, relaxing somewhat. "I guess you're right, but that isn't any excuse for ponies not to be able to defend themselves, or each other. A lot of damage can still be done before Twilight and her friends get there to save the day; I've seen that myself, several times."

I nodded, raising a placating hoof. "Sure, sure! I'm not saying it's bad to be capable, just... it's usually better to resolve things without violence if we can, and focusing too much on violent solutions might lead us to use them where we didn't need to."

Cozy nodded at that, surprisingly quickly. "Well yeah, obviously it's the better choice to avoid conflict, usually. And like, look at Discord; the rest of the group wanted to put him back in stone, but Fluttershy's insistence on a peaceful resolution is what saved him. I get it; I'm not arguing that violence should be the first resort."

Phew. For a second I was really wondering how militaristic she'd gotten.

"Good, good. I mean, as long as we're on the same page, there. But, y'know, you're not wrong, like I said; being prepared is good, too. Some fights are unavoidable, and ponies do need to be protected."

"So is that it? You're telling me pegasi and earth ponies can do magic, but nopony has really explored how much because..."

I waited for her to continue, but she trailed off and winced slightly for some reason.

Something nasty must be going on in that head of hers.

"Because most ponies aren't really that concerned with fighting. But, I mean, there are instances of ponies using magic without a horn; the Elements of Harmony themselves draw power from all kinds of ponies, obviously, but the crystal ponies all channel their energy to activate the Crystal Heart without horns. That's not all, either; I wasn't around to see it, but according to Twilight, Nightmare Moon did magic using her wings and mane at various points. It's probably easier for an alicorn, but there could be something to all of that."

Cozy sighed. "Should I even study that? It sounds like I'm a freak for being so interested in it."

So that's what it was. Come on, Starlight, you were a counselor; you can handle this.

"Well, why are you so interested in it? When did that start?"

Cozy leaned back and watched the clouds for a bit before she answered.

"I guess when I got Grogar's power. For the first time ever, I felt like I could... do something if somepony got in my way. I didn't have to rely on sneaking around; I could fight back if somepony tried to hurt or capture me. The moment I got that magic, I wanted more; I even tried absorbing Discord's magic, though that didn't work out at all. It's hard to describe, but it's like... I wasn't scared anymore. Fights weren't this big scary thing to stay away from, because now I could do something. Then, when I was playing at being a hero, I didn't know why there were ponies hunting for me... but I knew a fight was inevitable, so I started studying combat magic and practicing, and I got into fights with any monster or villain I could find that was causing any sort of trouble. I even picked a fight with a dragon because I needed something from their hoard."

I grimaced a bit at that. "Cozy, that sounds incredibly dangerous..."

Cozy just shrugged. "Sure, it was. But that's the thing... the more I did it, and the more convinced I became that I was a super hero, the less scary it seemed. It was like solving any other problem; I just started strategizing around it all and putting in the work preparing. And the thing is, I really enjoyed it. I never realized before how much thought and training could go into every move in a fight. I guess I got, like... addicted to the whole concept. It's not that I want to cause trouble or fight unnecessarily... I don't even know how to explain it. Sorry."

I stared at her for a few more moments, and then I chuckled softly. She huffed.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!"

I waved a hoof at her. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at me! Cozy, what you're describing is that you're a martial artist. You enjoy the art of fighting for its own sake, not necessarily enjoy hurting other creatures. It's not actually a big deal, and you're not a freak; you just have a hobby."

Cozy's eyes widened at that. "Oh. Oh, I think you're right! I mean, I've been practicing martial arts lately, but I just thought of that as, like, a skill. I didn't think of it as a hobby or a mindset."

I smirked. "I've heard of ponies calling it a lifestyle, but I didn't really get it until now. And I think that's a healthy thing for you, Cozy."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

"Well, it's like you said; you practiced and fighting stopped being scary. It helped you move past any worries or fears you might have had, related to violence. Something I learned while counseling is that, a lot of times, things people do that don't seem to make sense at first are actually necessary for them to grow."

Cozy smiled. "Thanks, Starlight."

I winked at her. "No problem. Any time you want to talk, just stop by the school. Speaking of which!"

I straightened up on the bench and smiled down at her. "The reason I came down here today was to ask if you wanted to return to the school of friendship. I wanted to make sure you knew you were welcome there, if you're ready to come back."

Cozy's smile faltered, and she glanced away, chewing her lip. I gently set a hoof on her back and spoke softly.

"You don't need to decide right away, okay? Just give it some thought. If you think you would be more comfortable coming back, our doors are open."

Cozy nodded, glancing up at me. "I'll definitely think about it. I don't think I'm ready, yet, but... I think I might like to come back, eventually."

I nodded, still smiling. "Whenever you're ready, Cozy."

I had to get back to the school and tackle my paperwork sooner or later, so we said our goodbyes in short order and I headed off. As I trotted off, my mind went back to all of those moons of effort with Discord and Twilight, and I teared up.

She's getting better. It really paid off... we really turned a tragedy around.

Cozy didn't realize it, but to me, she was the ultimate example of the power of friendship in action.

Waver

View Online

Cozy carefully deactivated her microphone and glanced at me.

"So humans usually fight with these guns and tanks, huh?"

I grinned uneasily. Maybe exposing her to a human war game was a bad idea. "Yeah, they've developed some pretty extreme weapons..."

Cozy just scoffed. "Really takes all of the art out of individual conflict. There's no real expression of personal skill or, like... inner strength, or whatever. It's just a matter of ambushes."

I laughed at that, letting relief flood over me. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm really glad nothing like this has been invented over in Equestria."

She actually shuddered at that. "This game is based on something called 'World War Two', right? And based on the way it's discussed, sounds like there were other really bad wars right before the first world war. Seems like introducing guns might win you a conflict in the short-term, but just makes the world more dangerous for everypony right after."

I nodded, but wasn't sure how to respond to that otherwise. It ended up not mattering, as a few seconds later Cozy's attention was fully fixed on the game. She flicked her microphone back on. "Oh yeah, you totally surprised me coming down the side like that! You got me! Victory point's yours—TANK AMBUSH! AHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE ALLEYWAYS!"

I glanced at that part of the map, and my eyes went wide as I realized Cozy had somehow meticulously hidden an entire tank convoy in the alleyways between two buildings and a small perimeter wall. Now they flooded out all around the enemy forces, rendering their anti-tank weapons useless.

The guy she had ambushed yelled in shock over the microphone. "WHAT THE F—"

Cozy drowned him out with manic cackling as his forces were laid to waste. He immediately gave orders to retreat, but Cozy had predicted that and laid barbed-wire across the most obvious escape-route; this funneled his troops. I clicked on the part of the minimap they were headed to and I gawked.

"Cozy, did you lay those mines just to—"

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHA! AH! AHAHAHAHA!"

I probably should have been worried about her, but frankly I'd seen worse in competitive games like this. I immediately capitalized on the new opening, funneling a column of special forces through the gap and setting up ambush points while Cozy 'commandeered' the fallen heavy weapons and abandoned tanks of her foe and began entrenching across the line.

She flicked off her mic again. "Okay, so are we going to smoke them out with artillery, or do you want to hit them all at once?"

I shrugged. "I'm still thinking defensively, so I haven't even gotten to that part yet. I guess artillery? Do we have any?"

Cozy nodded. "I stole some mortars forever ago. I've got one team at level five."

I glanced around in confusion as I placed my units. "Five? But the max is—oh, right, your faction goes to five. But wait, what does that even do?"

I heard more cackling and watched as the enemy base was lit up by flares. Enemy unit markers began disappearing.

"It does that!" She flicked her mic back on. "Come out and fight! The water's great!"

The guy on the other side just sighed loudly. "Stupid god damned game-breaking mortars."

Cozy cackled further. "These were your mortars, you know! I can't even build them with this faction! I just get the dumb infantry-support gun! So this is ALL! YOUR! FAULT!"

She chose that moment to call in off-map artillery. I'd already rolled some tanks into the enemy base – turned out they hadn't laid AT mines the way I figured they would – and it wasn't long before the victory screen rolled down. Cozy giggled as profile experience trickled in.

"That was awesome! Can we go another round?"

I shook my head with a snicker. "Sorry, Cozy. As much as I enjoy watching you torment my streaming fans, I've got school tomorrow, and I think your mom would prefer you get home before dark."

Cozy took off her headset and kicked away from the desk and laptop, stretching out. "Yeah, you're probably right. Still, I had no idea the human world had games like this! I mean, they turn their own bloody conflicts into entertainment and strategy pieces, that's hardcore."

I shrugged. "I mean, Equestria has plays and stories based off of historical conflicts. Nothing as bloody as this, but still..."

She shrugged. "Yeah, fair enough. I guess I just figured anypony who'd gone through something like this would rather forget about it."

I considered that as I stood up, stretching out. "Well... I think maybe the people who lost friends and family in that war would prefer that it not be sugar-coated or forgotten. So people don't make the same mistake again, if nothing else. Apparently, in this world, the first-ever history book was about a terrible war, in the hopes of teaching people that lesson."

Cozy winced as she put on her jacket. "Jeez, so this kind of thing has been going on for a long time, huh?"

I nodded as I put on my own jacket. "At least a few thousand years."

She fell silent at that – a mood which persisted as we left the house and continued down the street towards the school. I debated how to break the ice, and ultimately shrugged and nudged her.

"Bit for your thoughts?"

"Oh, uh... I was just thinking... at first, I wanted to say that kind of endless war could never happen in Equestria, but Discord showed me that stuff that bad really could happen, if... if somepony like me got her way."

Oh, jeez. I have no idea what to say to make that better.

I floundered for a bit, and just said the first thing that came to mind. "Well, while I like living here, in a lot of ways living here has shown me how lucky Equestria has it. I guess it's a thing where, to keep that sort of society going, you need both mutual trust and active effort... I mean, you're right that one or two ponies who decide to really break the rules and throw it all out of the window could tear it all down, but there are also ponies who will fight to stop that from happening."

I took a deep breath as my thoughts began to coalesce into something more clear. "I think that's the nature of trust. It creates vulnerability, but as long as no one abuses it, everyone is stronger for it. Equestria is built off of that kind of trust – well, I guess every society is, but Equestria has a lot more of it than most."

Cozy walked in silence for a while, arms folded tight – whether to drive out the cold from outside or within, I wasn't sure – and eventually just shook her head.

"I guess the big thing I took advantage of was that Equestria seemed so innocent. Ponies don't think in terms of exploitation and conquest, usually, so that made it easy. I didn't realize that was a conscious strategy."

I rubbed the back of my neck as I considered it. "I mean, the three pony tribes were constantly fighting for dominance and exploiting each other. The nation of Equestria was founded by the mutual trust and desire to put all of that behind them. So... yeah, I guess it really was a deliberate strategy."

Cozy laughed hollowly as she looked up. " 'You don't know what you don't know.' I should have studied more stuff before I decided to mess with how the world worked. I mean, we almost brought the windigoes down on our own heads with our boneheadedness... that is, Tirek, Chrysalis, and me..."

I gently squeezed her shoulder, getting her to make eye contact. "Then you became a hero, and now you're studying and working to be one again. So what's all of that say about you, when you take it all together?"

Cozy scoffed. "That I don't know when to quit?"

I winked at her. "Exactly. You might have made mistakes, but you're working past them. Somepony who never makes mistakes is living a boring life, never doing anything new. And while what you did wasn't good, good did come out of it. The students learned the real power of friendship, and, well... it really put ponies like Neighsay in their place, from what Twilight told me."

She laughed, throwing her head back and rolling her eyes. "Oh yeah, I struck one heck of a blow for racial equality in Equestria! Surprise, a badguy who's a pony, and she's a foal! And not even a unicorn!"

Where did that come from?

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Not a unicorn? What do you mean?"

Cozy fixed me with a flat look. "You're messing with me."

I shook my head, perplexed. "Uh, no? Do you have some problem with unicorns, or something?"

Cozy groaned, rubbing her head. "No! But like, look at the villains of Equestria's past, right? Sombra, unicorn. Nightmare moon, alicorn, but scary because of her magic. Then Starlight Glimmer apparently almost destroyed all of Equestria with her what now?"

I flinched. "Her magic..."

Cozy giggled. "Bingo! I'm not saying unicorns are more inclined towards being bad, that would be stupid. I'm just saying they're better equipped for it, is all."

I frowned and looked at the sidewalk, but Cozy playfully bumped up against me and caught my eye before continuing with a smirk. "Do you have any idea how tough it is being a villainous pegasus foal? I mean, not many role models, y'know?"

I rolled my eyes despite myself and snickered. "Oh yeah, I'm sure that's the big thing you contributed to Equestrian history."

"Yep! I bet there are pegasi and earthpony would-be badguys out there right now going, 'someday, I'm going to be just like Cozy Glow!' "

I raised an eyebrow at her as she giggled. She's really started to be able to laugh about all of that, I guess. I'd worried she would hang it over her head forever, but I guess all of that time as Quillon really did help her separate her past from her present. She must have just suffered a setback when she got back.

I prodded her with an elbow. "I guess the other nations won't be so quick to assume ponies are sweet, innocent, and helpless after that, either."

Cozy grinned, and then put on a face of absolute innocence so saccharine my teeth ached. "You think they're scared of us cute widdle ponies?"

I playfully winced like her face was actively hurting me. "Put those away. Down, girl!"

Her face morphed as she broke into a cackle. "They'd better be! Somepony tries to mess with Equestria again and they'll find out we can be just as mean as anything else!"

I folded my arms as we walked, smirking. "Yeah, but we choose not to be."

"Speak for yourself! What did that gamer say earlier? 'Dunk on the haters!' "

I held a hand up to my face as I laughed. "Close enough."

"They'll feel dunked alright. I'm going to make that a new punishment for whatever villains I catch. 'I sentence you to ten days of dunking!' "

I looked over at her with brows up. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means they have to play buckball for ten days. As the ball! Ahahahaha!"

I scoffed, which turned into a snicker. "Pretty sure that's cruel and unusual punishment, Cozy. And I don't think they'll learn their lesson."

She just shrugged and grinned mischievously. "They'll learn that if you mess with Equestria, you get dunked on. Come on, Sunset, it would be worth doing it just to get ponies repeating that."

I threw my hands up. "Girl, you've got a weird idea of how to run a country."

She pointed at me. "I know! Why do you think I stopped trying to take over? Let somepony else deal with all of that 'governance' stuff; it's a sucker's game! Being the one who gets to dunk on the villains, that's the real draw."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Luna's going to kill me for twisting your vocabulary like that."

Cozy laughed and set a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it; I'll rein it in before we get back. As much as I can, anyway."

I smiled back at her, but then a thought occurred to me. "Speaking of reining things in... you never did tell me how you knew about the human world or my two forms, originally."

Cozy's grin grew sly. "I'll never tell. Super secret."

I rolled my eyes. "Cozy, this is kind of important. We're supposed to be keeping the portals a secret. Well... as much as we can, anyway."

Cozy held up a hand placatingly. "Look, I just can't tell you. I'd be betraying a good friend's trust. Believe me, you wouldn't want me talking about it."

Something about how she said that bothered me, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on it. I could see she was serious, so I shrugged. "Fine, I'll let it go for now. But I will figure it out."

Cozy grimaced slightly and glanced up and away. "I mean, you'd probably rather you didn't. It's kind of confusing."

I eyed her with faux disgruntlement, and she just stuck her tongue out at me, prompting a laugh. We got to the mirror portal, and with a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, slipped through. Cozy took a second to stretch on the other side.

"Feels good to be back on four legs. So what now?"

I took a deep breath, enjoying the sensation of being back in my pony form, and looked over at her with a smile. "I figured we could drop in on Starlight. There's still enough time before dark, and it would be nice to see more of that school Twilight set up."

Cozy considered this for a few moments, tilting her head this way and that. "Well, it might get a little uncomfortable to see all of those creatures again, but... I guess so. Gotta do it sometime, and I'd rather deal with all of that with you around than be alone."

I winced, having totally overlooked how awkward it would be for her, but still...

It does need to happen sometime, like she said. Alright, guess we're doing this.

I nodded. "Okay. Let's go, then."

She held up a hoof. "Wait! Before we do that, can we get something from my house? I made this neat thing I want to show you."

I stopped short, a little flustered. "Oh, uh... sure! Don't see any reason why not."

We set off for her house, and I saw a visible spring in her step as we went.

She must be really excited to show me whatever it is. Well, hopefully it's not anything weird or lame... I'm kinda bad at faking positive reactions, and I can tell she cares what I think.

Then again, this is Cozy. She's about as predictable as Twilight; for all I know she's invented a way to generate infinite bits by curing cancer. Or, in her case, probably something more like a way to weaponize Pinkie's endless supply of pies into anti-windigo weapons, or something. Huh, she does make them with love...

"Earth to Sunset? We're here."

Cozy smirked and waved a hoof at me, shaking me from my admittedly bizarre tangent. We were at her house. I laughed sheepishly. "Oh, uh, sorry about that... guess I got lost in thought."

Cozy raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

I groaned, considering playing it off. "Well, it's sort of weird how it came up, but I thought of using Pinkie's pies against windigoes..."

Cozy's eyes slowly crossed as she thought about that. "But... that's so dumb. But she does make them with love..."

I pointed a hoof at her. "Hah! See what I mean?!"

Cozy shook her head. "Okay, no, nope, no good comes from trying to understand Pinkie. Like, ever. Even Discord is more predictable than that mare. Look, I have a better way to fight windigoes anyway! Wait here!"

As she ran off into the house, I suppressed the urge to facehoof at maximum power settings.

Wait, so she really was inventing some way to fight windigoes? That was meant to be a joke!

I snickered to myself and rolled my eyes.

Cozy's one of those ponies where it's impossible to make a joke about what she might do, because anything is possible.

Cozy came back outside with a necklace dangling from her neck. On closer inspection, it looked like a tiny replica Crystal Heart. My eyes shot wide.

"Wait, is that real? Like, it can actually resonate with love magic?"

Cozy nodded. "Uh-huh! I made it with Celestia's help! Though... I haven't managed to charge it successfully, yet."

As we started off for the school, I chewed over the problem. "Without a horn, it's harder to draw out any sort of magic, but it should still be possible. Especially for a primal force like love, with a focus to lock onto like that. You've tried just focusing really hard on your feelings for ponies you love, right?"

Cozy nodded and huffed. "Yeah, but it doesn't seem to work. Here, watch."

We stopped, and she sat on her rump, closing her eyes and concentrating. To my surprise, the necklace immediately lit up with an inner, pink light, shining brightly...

Then I saw Cozy wince, like she'd just been stung, and black tendrils formed around the necklace, devouring the light. I recoiled in horror.

Dark magic?! She shouldn't be able to channel that so easily! And if that came up in response to thinking of ponies she loved...

Cozy opened her eyes, by which point the amulet had returned to normal; the light and darkness had cancelled each other out, and flowed out as diffuse, neutral magic. She glanced down at it and frowned. "See what I mean?"

I quickly threw on a neutral expression. "Y-yeah, that seems, um, difficult. Uh, did something really negative interrupt your thinking?"

Cozy sighed, standing up, and we resumed our walk. "Yeah... Every time I think about the ponies who've been nice to me, I can't help but think about how I don't deserve it, or... ponies who were less nice to me."

We continued on in silence, but my mind was whirling.

I knew she had a nightmare in her head, but I didn't realize she could channel dark magic! When did that happen? How?! That's like leaving a lit match next to a gas leak; it's only a matter of time before something sets off her dark magic for real. But... then again...

I glanced at the filly walking alongside me. She had recovered from her darker thoughts and seemed in decent spirits, if a bit nervous about visiting the school again.

She just channeled dark magic, and nothing bad happened. So how did she hold it together? Come on, Sunset, situations like this are why you studied magic so much.

"Sunset?"

I started. "Oh. Um, yes?"

"Do you think everypony at the school will hate me?"

Cozy didn't bother making eye contact, just watching straight ahead as we walked. I took in a deep breath.

"I don't know, Cozy. But whatever happens, I'll be there, and things will be fine, okay? I know what it's like to have a school gang up on you, and I won't let you go through that."

Cozy nodded, lost in thoughts of her own. "Thanks, Sunset."

I returned my attention to the road and my thoughts.

Only alicorns should be able to channel dark magic without it causing major problems... but she was an alicorn, wasn't she? For a good while, too; it even affected her growth. Maybe there's still some alicorn magic hiding under the surface?

I chewed my lip over in thought. The idea of Cozy having access to incredible power she could only use if she went crazy was hardly comforting; this was a filly who was determined to get stronger, after all, and it wasn't hard to imagine her either giving in to temptation or straining not to do so on a daily basis.

On the other hoof, she's held it together so far.

With that ominous thought, we kept on our way until we approached the school. The sound of arguing voices drew our attention; somepony was standing on the walkway to the school, and they seemed to be in a shouting match with Starlight Glimmer. My first instinct was 'disgruntled parent', but when I got a look at the mare in question, my guts twisted up from memories that weren't even mine.

Oh no. That's Cozy's mother!

I glanced frantically over at Cozy, who had frozen in place, her eyes open all the way and her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Her face was locked in something like a snarl.

Well... fuck.

Snap

View Online

Why is she here?! What in Tartarus is going on?!

She's probably come to take you away! She's going to take you away from Luna and you're going to be trapped with her again!

I felt the adrenaline cut through my system so hard my vision tilted for a second as my eyes adjusted.

Not if I kill her first!

You'll still lose Luna either way! You need to get the buck out of there, before she sees you!

Bree turned in my direction. Our eyes met for a second.

Then she moved one of her hooves to take a step towards me and I was off, running and beating my wings as hard as I possibly could.

Need a place to hide! Where do I hide?! The woods! She won't follow me into the Everfree Forest!

She's got bigger wings than you do! She'll catch you!

I spared a horrified glance back, but as it turned out I'd covered tremendous ground already; Bree had taken off after me, but she was lagging far behind.

She doesn't have all of my combat training! I can get away! Or...

Don't attack her! Luna will disown you if you go that way!

I stopped at the edge of the forest, my heart hammering in my chest and my mind whirling. I felt like I couldn't get any oxygen.

So?! I can't just walk away! She tracked me here, she'll never let me go! She needs to pay for everything!

And then what future do you get?!

I don't deserve a future anyway! BUT NEITHER DOES SHE!

I was straining to breathe when Bree landed nearby, and I glared up at her, feeling all of my muscles stiffen. It felt like the temperature had dropped to freezing while I'd been in flight; somehow, my skin and coat felt too tight on me, like they were pulled taut.

Bree called out to me, and the sound of her voice sent a wave of rage through me. "Cozy, stop! Get back here! I just want to talk!"

Just want to talk?! Since when is it ever 'just a talk' with you?!

I snarled openly, and I felt my right eye wince as memories started to come back to me.

"How many times have I told you not to say things like that around my family?! Hm?!"

I'd been ready to go for a few minutes, and I'd been keeping quiet in the corner while Mom screamed at Olive. She forcefully adjusted his bowtie, and he just sheepishly bowed his head.

All he was doing was telling the truth...

Mom cupped his chin and forced him to look up at her. "How many times, Olive?!"

Olive stammered slightly. "A-a lot... I'm sorry, it's just that they said I should be honest—"

"That's not being honest! You knew how they'd take what you said out of context! You're picking up these games from Cozy, aren't you?! Did you even tell them it was your fault?! Hm?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes quietly in the corner.

Mom, you don't know the first thing about being 'honest'. To you, that just means ponies saying whatever works out best for you. You don't want us to be 'honest' with you, either; you just want us to say what you want to hear.

Olive's ears pinned back as Mom leaned in over him, her eyes alight with fury. He choked as he tried to respond. "O-of course!"

Mom's eyes narrowed at him. "Fat lot of good that did. Now I'll have to deal with them all looking at me like I'm a madpony at the funeral! You think they want to be your friends? They're just a bunch of horrible, self-centered gossips! They don't want what's best for any of us!"

Olive stammered, trying to straighten out slightly. "T-that's not true! They said—" He was cut off as mom bit his ear, eliciting a shriek of pain from him, and she started slowly pulling him to the center of the room.

Olive, you idiot! You know there's no point talking back when she gets like this!

That was one of her favorite things to do. She didn't have to put on enough pressure to leave a mark, and she could force us to go where she wanted. The center of the room meant she'd be using the switch again; she'd made Olive find and carve his own just two days ago.

Making a bad switch was a lot worse than whatever punishment you would get otherwise. She'd drilled that into all of us.

To my surprise, Olive lifted a hoof and tried to force her mouth off. Then he screamed, and I realized she had bit down harder in response.

It felt like somepony had dropped a bucket of cold ice water through my body. It was like something inside of me had just snapped. My entire world was a haze, and it took me a few seconds to realize my mom had screamed in surprise.

I'd taken the switch and hit her with it, right on the rump, just like she did to us. Olive stared at me in horror, and I realized why as I looked up at Mom.

I'd never seen her look so furious. Her whole face looked like a totally different pony, like her skin had been pulled back too far and it barely covered the bone.

"You little bitch!"

She swatted my face, knocking the switch free and hitting me right in the eye. It took me a moment to realize she'd sent me sprawling across the room, because at first it didn't even hurt; it was just an impact and a lot of movement.

Then pain erupted out across the entire right side of my face, radiating between my right eye and my nose. Something felt wrong, but it all hurt too much for me to process. I tasted blood.

I held a hoof up to my face, and I shrieked, but it was cut off by the loud CRACK of the switch hitting me in the hide, causing me to gasp in shock and agony. I almost choked on something and spat reflexively, and my mom's voice was absolutely screeching at me.

"HORRIBLE LITTLE BITCH! Everypony's going to think I'm crazy because YOU attacked ME!"

I started to turn around and felt the lance of agony run through my back again. She'd never hit me this hard before, and I felt panic start to run up and down my hooves.

She's going to kill me. She's going to whip me to death because I stopped her.

"What do you think they'll say when I don't show up for the funeral?! We can't go now, because you're so fucking crazy you need to always!"

Mom whipped my dress up.

The switch fell, and I screamed.

"Cause!"

The switch fell, and I moaned.

"Trouble!"

The switch fell, and I gagged. I couldn't breathe; the pain running through me made it feel impossible to move anything, and the anguish of what was happening made me feel like my heart had stopped.

I just couldn't find motivation to breathe. I just stayed on the floor, trying to get to my hooves, but nothing moved. I hadn't realized it, but I'd closed both of my eyes at some point. My back felt so cold, it was like I had an ice pack on.

I have no idea how long I stayed like that. I heard Mom tell me to get up, I felt her hit me again, but it was like a wave on the ocean; the pain ran across me, but I just let it run through me and away without response. She yelled at Olive, and I heard her follow him upstairs.

Probably to bandage his ear. I wonder what story they'll come up with.

My chest was burning, desperate for air. The first breath I took after all of that was to gag and choke down a sob.

I don't care if I'm a bad filly like she says. Someday, I'm going to kill her.

I grimaced, my left eye shooting open, and I craned my neck up from where I was. Nopony was in sight.

I'm never, ever, ever going to let myself forget this.

I stood up, staggering, and I started coughing. I realized dully that she had knocked one of my teeth out when she'd hit me. I scowled.

I'll come back and knock all of her teeth out. I'll bite her ears off. Then we'll see how everypony looks at you, Mom.

I spat out enough blood to breath a little through my mouth – my nose was having a lot of trouble, my right nostril seemed completely blocked – and forced myself to walk straight to the door.

Never, ever, ever coming back. I'll kill her or I'll kill myself first. I'll never live here again. I'll tear this fucking house down before I live here again!

I slipped out onto the streets of Cloudsdale, but I took to the sky as quickly as I could.

If I talk to ponies here, they'll just try to bring me back to Mom. Canterlot's not too far; if I show up there, looking like this, I should be able to get them to let me stay away from her.

I drew in a sharp breath.

Olive, Fuchsia... I can't let them send me back. I have to get them out of there, too.

I landed, being careful to stay off of the road. My wings couldn't take me all the way to Canterlot on their own. I tore off the stupid dress my mom made me wear to cover up marks and examined my back and haunch. There was blood streaming from two cuts Mom had given me with the switch. It looked like the third mark must have fallen where the first one did.

I hummed. Is that good enough?

I thought about the times Mom had tied me up so I couldn't run away and cause trouble, and then covered up the marks. I found a tree with a hollow in it, and began scraping my fetlocks against it, wearing off the fur and skin in an even pattern.

It hurt like hell, but I didn't feel like there was really any room for more pain in me. In a way, it felt almost cleansing.

Can't hide it anymore, Mom.

It was sort of funny. I giggled, but it felt different from any laughter I'd felt before.

It was like I was back in that room. I felt the pain radiating from my eyes; I felt my tooth snapping out, tasted the blood. I shuddered as my back felt like it was tearing open all over again.

Bree's eyes went wide. "Cozy, what are you—"

I tried to scream at her, but what came out was more like a roar.

I promised I'd kill her! I can do it!

We can't go that far! Stop and think!

So she can hurt us more?! So she can get away with it all?! No!

We have to let it go!

I can't!

GET OUT OF THERE!

I turned and fled into the woods, as fast as I could. I felt like my mind was collapsing; nothing seemed to make sense, and I didn't realize I wasn't breathing until I nearly fell over.

She'll catch me! I need to keep running!

I sucked in air in deep gasps, scrambling to keep my hooves under me as I drove deeper and deeper into the woods.

An Empty Heart

View Online

I chased after Cozy and Bree as quickly as my hooves would take me, terror working its way through my spine.

Her wingtips, they turned black! I've got to stop her before fear and hatred take her over completely!

I heard shouting up ahead, and put on a burst of speed. I saw Starlight teleport into existence next to Bree just before a roar shook the ground, making me panic for a moment that a monster had found us before I realized what had happened.

That was Cozy?!

The ground erupted into black crystal in a shockwave out from the filly, smacking right into Bree and Starlight and sending them sprawling. I barely caught a glimpse of Cozy before she took off further into the woods.

One of her eyes, now, too?!

"Starlight! Are you okay?!"

I arced my path around Bree, who seemed thoroughly stunned by the impact of the blunt crystal pillar, and found Starlight sitting on the grass, groaning and rubbing her horn.

A horn that had tiny black crystals sprouting out of it, causing me to stop short and gasp.

"Starlight, your horn—!"

"I know, Sunset!" Starlight grunted as she stood up, still rubbing her horn, and she winced. "Ouch! That really stings! Cozy sure doesn't fool around when she's angry."

I grimaced, both out of sympathy and concern. "I don't think she even realized you were there, Starlight. Did you see her right eye?"

Starlight rolled her eyes, still rubbing her horn. "I barely had a second to get my bearings before the spell hit. Why? Was something wrong with it?"

"It had turned black. I don't think it was seeing... anything real. I think she's seeing her worst fears alongside the real world. That's... my best guess, anyway."

Starlight sighed. "Greeeeaaaat. So we've got a miniature Sombra running around who's not even fully aware of what she's doing. Well, I'll go make sure Luna knows what's going on; do you think you can get to Twilight and get the element-bearers together? We can't risk Cozy going on a rampage."

I recoiled in horror. "Starlight, she's not rampaging, she's terrified! We can't just fix this by attacking her, she'd never trust us again!"

Starlight winced, whether from what I said or from her horn I wasn't sure. "I understand that, Sunset, but do you think she'd forgive herself if we let her hurt anypony? We should have everypony here just in case."

I clenched my teeth. What's she saying makes sense on the face of it, but Cozy's not our enemy, she's just scared out of her mind! And who could blame her?

I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that Starlight hadn't seen even the glimpse I had of Cozy's mind; all she knew was that the filly had a dark past. It was something else to experience it first-hoof.

"Starlight, I understand your thinking. And I do think getting Luna is a good idea. But we can't treat this like a fight, you understand?"

Starlight nodded sheepishly. "I get it, Sunset. The elements are just for a last resort, okay?"

I did my best to rein in the urge to growl at the other mare. "A last resort. Fine. I'm going to find Cozy and try to help her; I'll cast a homing spell so you and Luna can find me."

I suddenly felt a hoof on my haunch. I glanced back to see Bree glaring daggers at me.

"Excuse you, who said you get to decide what's best for my daughter?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but I lit up my horn to remove her hoof, and as soon as I did so I fell into a world of memories.

Snippets, impressions, moments in time flooded past me, too quickly to focus on any one. The harder I tried to slow down the process, the more confused I felt.

Luna described something like this while searching memories. She said... focus on the shape of the stream itself.

I tried to draw my senses back, outward, to understand the general pattern of events rather than any specific memory.

What I saw made me sick.

I snapped back to reality, only to fold my ears from the mare shouting in my face.

"TAKE ME TO MY DAUGHTER RIGHT NOW—MMPH!"

I snapped her muzzle shut with my magic, and, drawing on something Starlight had shown me, I conjured up a crystal barrier from under Bree, encasing her in a rock-solid prison up to the hips.

I had to suppress a snicker as she gawped at what I'd done and flailed, screaming at me. "WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!"

I turned on my rear hoof and started walking into the woods. Starlight fell in beside me, looking at me like I'd gone crazy.

"Sunset?! What was that all about?!"

I shrugged, still trying to fight down the urge to retch from what I'd seen. "It seemed better than what I wanted to do to her."

Starlight glanced back at Bree, still screaming and flailing behind us, and back to me. "What did you see? I've never seen you so..."

I scoffed. "Callous? Angry? Evil?"

Starlight balked, looking more confused than anything. "No, uh... serious, I guess. I know you wouldn't do something like that without good reason, so... could you clue me in, maybe?"

I snorted. "So you can ignore what I tell you again?"

Starlight winced, and I immediately regretted what I'd said, reaching out and putting a hoof on her shoulder as I spoke. "Sorry. That was uncalled-for. I'm just really freaked out right now, worried about Cozy, and seeing in Bree's head just made it a lot worse."

Starlight nodded grimly. "I understand. Just don't leave me in the dark, okay? I didn't mean to brush off your warning before, but just telling me some filly had a bad childhood is... well, it's kinda vague, and could mean all sorts of things! I mean, not to be a jerk, but Cozy is not your average filly. What she's upset about could have been totally normal behavior."

I sighed, rubbing my head. "If it had been, I'd have mentioned that. Sorry, I've spent so long working closely with Luna and Discord that I've gotten used to them understanding my spell. I guess it's easy to forget not everypony does. What I saw in Bree was... well, it was really different from anything else I've come across."

Starlight seemed nonplussed, but I wasn't sure how to continue. She lifted a hoof and made a 'go on' gesture while saying, "So, did she, like... yell at Cozy all the time, or what?"

I groaned. "It's so much more than that. When she first had kids, she wasn't sure how to deal with them. Her husband was almost never around, and she couldn't handle the stress. It got to the point where, when the kids were misbehaving, she would just... start hitting them."

Starlight winced. "You mean, spanking them, or...?"

"It started off like that. Not great, but not, like, out there. But it became a habit. Eventually she started screaming at them or hitting them whenever they did something that bothered her, whether they were really being bad or not. If they woke her up, or made too much noise..."

Starlight grimaced, looking forward as we walked. "I've heard of parents like that, but would that really lead to all of this?"

I shrugged, trying to suppress the urge to gag. "There's a lot more. She did a lot of other awful stuff. Tying them up, starving them sometimes... but the really bad part isn't even all of that."

Starlight gawped at me. "She did what? What kind of parent does that?"

I shuddered a bit. "That's just it. At first, she hated herself for hurting them. But, over time, as it became a habit... she just stopped caring. About any of them, at all. She still tells herself she loves them, but her heart is just... empty. She thinks of them more like property than people, and she's upset somepony took her property. She's upset she looks incompetent. Feels like she's the victim. But the only pony she actually cares about is herself."

Starlight glanced back at the struggling mare, only barely visible through the trees at this point. "That's... I don't know what to say to that. What do we do with her?"

I shrugged. "I don't care. Keep her here. She can't be allowed anywhere near Cozy again, that much is obvious." I set off a flare with my horn, watching it arc up and over the forest. "There, that ought to serve as a beacon, and I keyed it to Luna's dreams; she'll come running. I want you to fill her in when she gets here."

Starlight nodded hurriedly. "And here I thought I'd have to double-back and run all the way back to her house. Okay... are you sure you'll be okay with Cozy by yourself? You saw yourself, she's kind of... well, snapped."

I gave her a flat look, but she just held her frank stare, and I sighed. "It's a chance I'm willing to take. Somepony did for me, once."

Starlight stopped and watched me make my way further into the woods, tracking the damage Cozy's magic and reckless flight had caused. "She'd be proud to see you now, Sunset."

I guess we'll see if I deserve it when I find Cozy.

A Cozy Nightmare

View Online

I kept running, heedless of whatever might be ahead. I just had to get farther away, as far as possible, as far as my wings and hooves could possibly take me.

I have no idea how long I fled until I had to stop and rest. I do know my hooves and wings ached terribly, and I felt the blood streaming from my mouth and my eye the whole time. Part of me wondered if I would pass out from exhaustion or blood loss first, but I was more concerned with other pains.

I can't go back. I can't go back, and I can't stop her, and that means I can't go back to Ponyville! She's ruined everything! Again! Why can't I get away from her?!

I slammed my hoof against a tree, and I heard one of the branches snap off. I tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but my chest started hurting worse as I slowed down and it all caught up to me.

Why didn't Mom stop her?! Why did everypony let this happen?!

They always wanted to get rid of me. I'm baggage; a nasty reminder of events they want to forget. They had to reform me, but it was just their job; now that there's a chance to get rid of me and feel okay about it, they took it! I meant nothing to them!

I flopped down in my rump and shuddered, clutching my hooves tightly around myself. I'm not worth anything to anypony. Why should I be? I'm just some insane, deranged little filly that caused a lot of trouble. I bet they know exactly what Bree is like and they think I deserve it.

Maybe I always deserved it.

I hated it, but I sat there and wept, choking and sobbing as I tried to come to grips with everypony I'd come to know secretly hoping I'd just disappear one day.

Maybe I will just disappear. They don't really care whether I end up with Bree or I just disappear, right? I can just keep flying until I can't even see Equestria anymore.

And then what? Be alone and useless and broken some more? What's even the point?

I paused in my thoughts and weeping as I heard another twig snap, and I looked up, entire body seizing with terror and adrenaline. I saw two green eyes glaring at me from a shadowy spot in the trees.

A timber wolf!

I leapt to my hooves and braced myself for a fight, and the wolf growled as it drew closer. For a second, I was going to flee, but then something about its behavior reminded me of Bree.

I roared at it, so hard my lungs burned, and I leapt at it with all of the strength I could find. The wolf had been mid-step, and wasn't able to pounce. It snapped out at me, and I plunged a hoof so far down its jaw that it couldn't bite down.

I wrapped myself around it, trying to wring the life out of the damnable thing, and started biting, tearing pieces off of it. The ears went first, and I heard it yelp in panic before I ended up snapping it in half.

I stood there, panting over what was left of it, and started laughing uncontrollably.

They say you shouldn't mess with a pony who has nothing left to lose! I'm not scared of dying, so you were at a disadvantage!

I stomped on what was left of the wolf. "Stupid, stupid, stupid creature! In your wildest dreams you wouldn't be half the monster I am! You don't have enough hate to match me!"

I panted from the exertion, thoroughly satisfied with my job for a few moments, before I really started to think about it all.

And this is why I can't live in Equestria. Something like me should be out where the other monsters are. That's why they threw me in Tartarus; that's where monsters in Equestria go.

I staggered off of the dead monster, and began idly walking in the direction I'd been flying in, before.

Should I have just let it eat me? Maybe this was destiny trying to give me a hint... and of course I missed it, because I'm just too twisted to even recognize when I should stop.

That thought echoed around in my head as I walked, trying to ignore the ache in my hooves. I looked down at where the timber wolf's jaws had scraped my fetlock, and winced.

I paused against a tree, trying to catch my breath again, and I cried out as I suddenly slipped sideways, my hooves yanked taut by a rope that dug into my coat.

"Got'er, y'all!"

I looked around frantically, and saw that Applejack was holding the other end of the lasso. Rainbow Dash zipped up besides her, and they traded a hoofbump.

"Aww, yeah! That's record time! At this rate we'll be wrapped up before dark!"

I panicked, trying to stand up and failing. "Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. "Didn't ya, though? Anypony can see you've snapped, Cozy. You're a bad filly. Bad fillies get locked up until they learn their lesson."

I screamed in incoherent rage, and hurled a vase at Mom. She blocked it with her wings, and I cringed backwards as her wings parted to show her face etched over with rage.

"You're going to clean every piece of that up! I can't believe you would be so clumsy! Don't you know how much that cost?! You're turning this house into a pigsty with your stupid antics!"

"I didn't mean to—"

She barked out a laugh. "You think anypony in the real world is going to care what you meant to do?! You need to learn restraint so you don't make mistakes like that!"

I felt something catch fire in the back of my mind. "Well it shouldn't have even been there! You don't let us play outside so this is the only place Olive and I can do anything together!"

Mom drew up to her full height. "You know what backtalk means, filly."

Get the switch.

I gasped as pain lanced through my back, and I whirled around, slamming my hoof into Bree as hard as I could. I heard a sickening crunch as she toppled over, and it felt like the whole world shook from the impact. I staggered backwards, holding my head.

When did she...? I'm going crazy...

I tried to breathe, but I immediately choked on something, causing me to go into a coughing fit and stagger. I looked down and saw my tooth lying there in a pool of blood. I staggered backwards.

I'm never coming back. If I see her again I'll kill her!

"Go on. Leave."

I snapped up and saw Mom there, glaring down at me, horn glowing. She scoffed.

"You never deserved a home with me, anyway. What makes you so special? That you turned your violent insanity against other monsters? There must be a hundred more deserving fillies in Equestria."

I worked my jaw frantically, trying to speak, but I had to clear my throat a few times before I could get a sound out.

"But, but none of them are me! You love me!"

Mom rolled her eyes. "You were a pity case, Quillon. If I'd known who you really were I'd never have stayed around you."

It's true. It was just pure blind luck you ever got to spend time with her at all.

I grit my teeth. "None of that matters now! How it came about doesn't matter! We love each other!"

Luna glared down at me. "You don't even know what love is, Cozy. You aren't capable of it; that's why you can't charge that necklace of yours. You only appreciate me as long as I facilitate your whims; you don't care about me at all."

I threw myself on the ground in front of her, weeping and waving at her frantically. "That's not true! Please, just tell me what you want me to do, I'll do it! I can be a good filly, just don't leave me, please! Please!"

Luna scoffed. "Okay. What I want you to do is leave."

It felt like somepony had grabbed me like a sheaf of paper and torn me in two, right down the middle. The pain I felt spilled out of my heart like I'd been cut open.

It's like the day I left Bree...

I sucked in a breath, and slowly got to my hooves. I opened my mouth to speak, but thought better of it and hung my head as I walked away.

The only good deed I can ever do is leave. Nopony deserves to deal with me.

Why did I ever think it could be something else?

"Cozy?"

I snapped my head up and over and saw Discord floating there between the trees. He looked taken aback as he looked me over. After a few seconds he leaned in and spoke.

"Are you a good filly, Cozy?"

I cringed, and then snarled as I took to the air up in his face. "You! You're the one who convinced me I could be better! That I could be a good filly! Is this one of your insane pranks?! Did you do all of this just to hurt me?! Why?! Because I stole your magic... and hurt you?"

The anger went right out of me as I realized that he was just one of the many, many creatures I'd hurt with my misdeeds. I landed and struggled to breathe, guilt clawing its way through me.

Discord shook his head, seeming surprised.

"Cozy, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to hurt you, because I hate you."

I glared up at him, baring my teeth. "You hate me, huh? Well I don't care! I'm not going to let you walk all over me just to make yourself feel better! Never again!"

Discord raised his arms, and I realized he was about to do something to me.

I have to get out of here!

I pulled in all of the magic I could to my horn, forming a reflector matrix. I had no idea if I could beat Discord, but I knew everypony believed in me; Sunset, Celestia, Mom...

"DRAGON BALL!"

I fired the matrix at Discord, hoping it would entangle him. He took a step back in surprise and raised his lion's paw in a snapping position, and the matrix slammed into it.

I saw him strain, and then glance at his arm in alarm as his fingers turned to stone.

I got him! Now I need to go and get Twilight and her friends!

I took off at full speed, tearing through the air and desperately hoping I'd put enough distance between us before Discord got free of whatever the spell had done to him. I grinned to myself, feeling the air whipping around me.

Heroes always win in the end, sucker! Should have learned that the first two – no, three times you tried this!

I came to a clearing I thought looked vaguely familiar, and slowed down. Something about it seemed very important to me, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on it. I flew down a slope, and came to rest in a small valley between the forest and what looked like a swamp.

Why does this place seem so familiar?

"The stronger we will all be. Together!"

I whirled on the spot at the new voice, and I saw a huge wave of rainbow-colored energy rushing towards me.

"No! NO! I don't want to forget!"

I don't want to forget Mom, or Sunset, or Starlight, or my days as Quillon... please...

I curled up into a ball and protected my eyes with my hooves, waiting for the impact, but it never came. I glanced around, confused, and saw Discord standing there with a malicious grin.

"I hope you enjoy your time as a statue, Cozy Glow. Canterlot Garden does need a new 'useless life-form' exhibit."

I quailed as he lifted a paw and snapped, only for nothing to happen. He snapped a couple more times and then plucked his paw off and glanced inside of the back end, confused.

"Is this thing on?"

Then he suddenly deflated like a balloon and vanished, and I saw another Discord with a lion's paw turned to stone standing behind where he had been, holding out a talon he had used to 'pop' the first one.

"I never said that. Honestly, is that how you see me?"

He rubbed his stone paw with his talon, like he was trying to work the numbness out of a hoof.

What just...? Whatever, Discord never makes any sense! Keep running!

I took off into the woods again, hearing Discord shout after me as I went. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, but I could feel my energy draining; I'd broken out in a cold sweat all over, and I was still having trouble catching my breath. I kept going until I found a dark little crevice in a huge stone, barely big enough to fit me, and I wriggled into it, desperate to hide.

I stayed there some time, trying to shake off my fatigue and the horrible shakes I felt after the adrenaline. It felt like my bones were rattling around inside of me, and I just curled into a little ball and tried to hold myself together.

Maybe if I go to sleep here, I'll get lucky and never wake up.

I sighed, rubbing my head and trying to get comfortable. After a while, something struck me as odd.

I don't know how long I've been out here, but shouldn't it be getting dark?

I chalked it up to adrenaline confusing me and tried to shut my eye and get some sleep. I was starting to doze off when a rustling sound woke me. My eye shot open and I glanced out of my little hole to see Sunset Shimmer looking around.

Oh no. Even Sunset is after me? I didn't think I'd have to fight her, too...

Sunset peered down into the little crevice I'd burrowed into. "Cozy?"

I remembered something Chrysalis had done, and I pounced out of the crevice with a hiss, hoping to terrify her away. She flinched in surprise, but held her ground. I tried to bolt past her, but I felt a tug on my tail and realized she'd caught me in her magic. I flailed to try to disrupt it, but it was no good.

"Let me go! Just let me go! I didn't do anything! Please!"

Sunset pulled me over to her. She looked concerned.

"Cozy, shut up. I didn't come here to listen to you."

I flinched, and grit my teeth again. "So Bree got to you, huh? You can't believe a word she says! She's evil!"

Sunset recoiled in surprise, opened her mouth, then shut it, studying me closely. She started to reach for me, and I snapped at her hoof reflexively, causing her to draw it back.

Can I really fight her? If she wants to drag me back...

I was still fighting myself over the idea of it when she reached in again. I strained away from it, but she still had me in her magical grasp. To my surprise, all she did was rub my head. At first I desperately wanted to get away, find out what she was planning, but...

This is... nice. Why is she doing this? Does she just want to remind me of what I've lost?

No, that doesn't make any sense. Sunset's just being Sunset.

I couldn't help but lean into the warm feeling of it, and soon she had pulled me into a proper embrace. We stayed like that for a time, and I slowly started to actually catch my breath.

Eventually, Sunset leaned back from me, looking at me closely with a frown. I saw her charge up her horn, and I cringed, expecting the worst. To my surprise, her magic came out a deep, dark red, and it flowed over me like a warm summer breeze. The sensation was relaxing, and I felt the tension in my chest go out, resting against her.

Sunset brushed my hair gently as I rested against her barrel. "Cozy?"

I shuddered slightly. "Mm-hmm?"

Sunset hesitated. "Can you understand me?"

I looked up at her with a tired, confused expression. "Of course. What kind of question is that?"

Sunset smiled, pulling me in tight. "Don't worry about it."

Do You Remember That

View Online

I wasn't sure that would work, but I guess it was worth the risk. Better than letting the others hit her with the Elements of Harmony, at least.

I sighed and held the crying filly tight, letting her vent her feelings. I wasn't even sure she realized she was doing so.

She still seems a little out of it. Then again...

I'd seen some of her nightmare when I'd channeled my powers of empathy outwards, reaching out to show her that I cared for her. It was risky trying to use my power that way; I hadn't ever really tried it.

I definitely didn't expect it to come out as an Element of Harmony. Then again, it doesn't seem to have hurt her.

If anything it seemed to calm her down. The signs of her black magic were all but gone; there were still black streaks through her wings, but her eye and mouth seemed back to normal.

She snuggled against my barrel and let out a contented sigh, hiccuping slightly from her crying jag.

What a day she's had. Things were going so well, too!

I suppressed the flicker of anger I felt towards Starlight for having facilitated this mess.

It's not really her fault. We'd have had to deal with Bree eventually. Still...

I looked down at Cozy, and gently brushed her mane with my hoof. "Cozy, do you think you'll be alright?"

She shuddered against me, sniffling. "I-I dunno. Do I... can I stay? Do I have to go?"

I wasn't quite sure what she meant, but I kept brushing her reassuringly. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to. It's all okay. It was just a nightmare, okay?"

Cozy pushed hard against my barrel. "I don't really get it, but... okay."

I thought over it as I brushed her mane. "No one's mad at you, Cozy. You're still just as welcome as you were yesterday."

It took her a little while, but she nodded against me. "Alright. T-thank you."

I think Luna's preference for formality is rubbing off on her a little.

I waited a little while before speaking up again. "I'm sorry you had to deal with all of this today, Cozy. I'm sorry you had to see her again."

She took a sharp breath, and I worried for a moment I'd made a mistake before she spoke. "It's not your fault. I... I just don't want to see her again, ever. I almost..."

She seemed lost for words, and choked down a sob, pressing against me. I wavered a moment, then reached out with my magic.

I felt the rage, the hate, the sheer sense of wrath that had overtaken the filly when she saw her birth mother again, and I gasped lightly at the intensity of it.

Even when I was a demon I didn't feel that kind of malice. But then again, Twilight and her friends just seemed like an irritation and an obstacle... this was a lot more personal for her.

Cozy sniffled. "You saw, didn't you? You know how horrible I am. The real me is... just like Tirek said, the real me is ugly."

My mind was still reeling from what I'd seen, but I brushed her reassuringly anyway. "I did see. But... you also didn't act on your feelings, and that says a lot. I can't believe you held all of that back."

I was being literal. Even though I had felt what she felt in that moment, I still had trouble believing she hadn't attacked her mother immediately. Cozy laughed softly – a hollow sound that was entirely wrong for her.

"I let my fear get the better of me. It's not like I was heroic or anything."

I struggled for a moment to understand what I'd seen and reconcile it with what she'd said.

"Fear of losing Luna," I breathed, "fear of losing your mother, and me. That's what you held onto, and that's what triggered your nightmare."

Hatred for Bree, fear of losing her new family... no wonder her dark magic went out of control.

She just laughed again, entirely devoid of mirth. "Tactical cowardice, I guess."

I rested my head against hers, and I shook it in disagreement. "Your fear was motivated by love. You knew that was more important to you than your hatred. That's why you let it take over."

Cozy sniffled. "That would be nice, but I don't think I even know what love really is."

I fished a hoof under her barrel, and I brought up her pendant. "Think so?"

She cracked an eye open, and gasped. "It's glowing!"

I huffed a small laugh against her. "It's been lit up this entire time. I guess you never noticed."

Cozy took the pendant in her hoof and stared at it for a few seconds before letting it rest and leaning into me. "Do you really think... that love was what stopped me?"

I groaned playfully. "What is it with ponies and not trusting my magic? I know it was love that motivated you."

I've never heard of anypony using dark magic to restrain darker impulses before, and definitely not alongside love, but... well, if anypony out there had a messed-up enough background to make it happen, I guess it would be Cozy Glow. Poor filly...

She nodded against me. "Sorry, I guess I just... don't really think of myself as loving."

I tousled her hair. "I know. You're always attacking yourself in your head, doubting your own intentions and judging everything you do."

Cozy stiffened. "So I guess you can see all of that, too, huh...? I'm sorry I'm so..."

She sniffled and shook her head. "I'm sorry I'm so fucked-up."

My ears burned slightly, but I scoffed anyway. "Cozy, everypony has thoughts like those. It's normal. You might take it farther than most, but you shouldn't think of yourself as crazy just because of that. Y'know, I think it might be that you're harder on yourself because you're a lot more perceptive than most ponies... you know how to lie, so you know how to tell when you're trying to lie to yourself."

"Really? It's not... I'm not a freak?"

I winced. I really want to buck Bree right in the face right now.

"No, Cozy. You're fine. I mean... you're hurt, and you're still recovering and learning a lot of things that you ought to know, but you aren't a monster, and you aren't crazy. You remember your time as a hero, right?"

Cozy nodded slowly. I squeezed her gently.

"Without your memories – or without the full force of them, at least – you didn't have too much trouble being a great pony. This is harder, because you have to carry the weight of everything with you, but it proves the potential exists. That's why Discord wanted you to live that life; so you'd always believe in your capacity for good."

We were silent for a little while, just holding each other. Cozy eventually snickered. "So he showed me my capacity for evil, then my capacity for good, huh?"

I didn't quite get the humor. "Uhh... yeah?"

Cozy looked up at me and stuck her tongue out. "Laaaaame. That's just parallelism. That's not chaotic at all!"

I groaned and rolled my eyes, and then laughed. "Leave it to you to find split-timeline reformation therapy to be insufficiently wacky!"

She cackled, which was an oddly reassuring sound, coming from her.

"What can I say? I'm a perfectionist. Veeery high standards."

With that, she yawned. I glanced at the sky; today's sunset had lasted unusually long. I started slightly.

Twilight must be keeping the sun up for the search for Cozy! That means she's here!

"Cozy? I think we need to head back, now. Everypony is worried about you."

She stiffened, but then relaxed, and I realized she thought I meant they were scared of her before parsing my words. She nodded. "Okay... I think I'm ready."

We stood up and began making our way through the woods. I could still sense my old beacon spell, so it was fairly straightforward. After a short distance, it became clear that Cozy's hooves were aching terribly, so I lifted her up onto my back and carried her the rest of the way.

As we approached the edge of the forest, I slowed down and looked through the trees carefully, overhearing the sounds of an argument. I stiffened and came to a stop.

"Err... Cozy? Bree is still out there. If you want, I can take you around to your house without passing by her."

Cozy, who had been dozing, snapped awake. She took a sharp breath, and let it out slowly. She slowly climbed off of my back.

"No, I... I think I should say something to her. I can't keep letting her scare me forever. But, umm..."

She looked up at me sheepishly. "Could you maybe... go first? I don't want everypony freaking out..."

I nodded, thinking quickly. She still thinks there's a ponyhunt for her. And... I guess there sorta is. Well, here goes, Sunset...

I strode out of the treeline, and overheard what was being discussed. Bree was staring down Celestia – she's got more guts than sense – and it was clear from their expressions that it wasn't a pleasant conversation. Bree huffed.

"I wouldn't expect YOU to understand. You don't know the importance of a child to their mother. Not all of us are as cold-hearted as you are, you know. You remained single and solitary on your throne, and we all respected you for it, but when fate delivered a talented orphan foal to your doorstep – as clear a sign as you can get without a mark appearing on your flank – you shrugged her off. Oh, what a surprise she turned on you; only a conscious pony with a pulse could have seen that disaster coming. So I guess it's no wonder a princess whose heart stopped when she exiled her own sister couldn't."

Celestia's jaw dropped, and as Bree went on I could see the pain in her expression. Luna looked absolutely furious, and Twilight and the others just looked distinctly uncomfortable. I winced, too, but strode up regardless, whistling to get everypony's attention.

Here's hoping all these ponies aren't too much for Cozy to handle right now...

I cleared my throat. "Nopony bother listening to this one; she's got less room to talk than she has in her heart, which, trust me, is basically nothing."

Bree whirled on me, eyes furious, but I just held her muzzle shut with my magic and narrowed my eyes at her. I walked up and leaned in close enough that only she could hear me.

"Use me against Celestia like that again, and I'll make sure the authorities know every single detail of every dirty thing you've ever done. I've already seen inside of your head once, I can do it again whenever I want."

I'd sooner toss myself off a cliff than look in her head again, but I'm not going to tell her that.

Her eyes went wide, and I released her muzzle and irritably made my way to Celestia, brushing up against her gently. "Just so everypony knows, I found Cozy, and she's alright. We can call off the search."

I met Luna's eyes carefully, and she nodded subtly. Good, so she understands why she shouldn't demand to see her right away.

I wasn't sure if Cozy was going to actually come out, or if we needed to get rid of Bree first, so I'd decided to get all eyes on me, just in case. Bree visibly bristled, her wings flaring out.

"Well, where is she?! Don't tell me you're still going to try to keep my daughter from me!"

Cozy's voice called out to everyone, and I saw her stride out of the treeline, jaw set. "I'm over here, Bree."

Don't freak out. Don't attack her. I can do this.

Luna's right there! She's going to see what you really are!

Bree turned around to see me, and I squared off my stance instinctively, recognizing a threat. She started in towards me, and my eyes shot wide. My voice came out level and clear, from practice as a hero.

"Keep your distance."

She got closer.

"Last warning."

Bree's voice came out at that perfect saccharine tone that told me she was putting on a show. It made my skin crawl. "Oh, sweetie!"

It would have been fine if she had tried to hit me. But no, she tried to hug me. I couldn't control the sheer revulsion, the sheer rejection I felt; I knew her too well, I could feel the manipulative intent, the poison coming off of her, the need to control me and claim me.

I could see myself through her eyes; the target, the victim, the tool, the property I was to her. I could read her intention; to give one of her special hugs, used in public places, where she leaned over to discreetly speak in my ear and put pressure on my neck, just enough to hurt and make me obedient.

I hit her. Not gently, not reflexively, but with the precision of a warrior and the force of one, too. I felt the damage ripple through her head, every little gut-wrenching detail, and I knew I'd gotten her good. She went sprawling with a yelp, staggering to her hooves and whirling on me with a look of disbelieving outrage.

Damn. Looks like I didn't dislocate her jaw.

"How DARE you?!"

"Do you remember that?"

She stopped short, confused.

"What?"

I struggled to keep my voice level as I started to snarl at her.

"It's the same way you hit me the day I ran away. And just so we're clear, I hate you. I don't like a single thing about you. I've been to Tartarus, so I'm going to tell you from experience that it's too good for you. I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. I'd say that you're dead to me, but that would sell short how much I look forward to the day you make Equestria a better place by dying for real; in the meantime, I'll settle for just never seeing you again, but only because the ponies I care about would be angry with me if I bucked in all of your teeth! But I'll take my chances if you ever, ever try to touch me again, you horrible, heartless BITCH!"

Bree reeled in shock at that, lost for words, and I strained to push down the anger I felt, to not just pounce at her and tear off an ear right then and there. As that thought occurred to me, I sucked in a breath and walked past her, adding, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and if I ever hear you've gone near Olive or Fuchsia again, I will kill you."

I was still straining to get my breathing under control as I made my way past her, to Mom. She had watched the exchange with a neutral expression, but there was a glint in her eye I couldn't quite identify. She turned and fell into step next to me as we made our way away from that place, away from that mare.

Away from that chapter in my life.

Once we had gotten out of earshot, Mom leaned down, and I reflexively prepared to apologize for going too far.

"Well put."

Mom nuzzled me gently, and I felt a wave of relief. I started laughing, bleeding off the tension, and I felt like a tremendous anchor had just been cut free from me.

The Sun Sets

View Online

Celestia and I quickly made our way towards Ponyville, eager to put some distance between us and Bree before she could recover from what had just happened. Twilight had set the sun, so we walked by moonlight, and the temperature was dropping quickly. We'd gotten halfway to town before Celestia said anything.

"Thank you, Sunset. I did not even know where to start dealing with what she said."

I glanced over, and I could see she was still struggling with what to say. I brushed up against her as we walked, and smiled up at her.

"Don't even waste the energy to think about her, or what she says. She's just not worth it."

Celestia sucked in a sharp breath, closing her eyes as she formulated her next sentence.

I guess Bree really got under her coat...

"What she said doesn't become any less true simply because she was the one saying it."

I winced. "Yeah, well... what's being said can be colored by how it's said, too. She left out how I was a self-centered, power-hungry brat that was impossible for you to control."

Celestia's wing wrapped around me, pulling me close as we came to a stop, and she opened her eyes to look at me. They were twisted in anguish.

"Sunset, you were just a filly. I should have known better, should have guided you better, and... and she was right. I should have taken you in properly, not just treated you as a student."

My heart fluttered, thinking about how badly I'd have wanted to hear that even just a few years ago. I pressed into her barrel and sighed.

"You know what? Things are good between us now. Focusing on this, trying to say, 'it's my fault, no it's my fault', how's that help either of us? Ponies get too fixated on where blame should fall, but it's like... we both made mistakes, we both learned from them, and things are fine now. Let's just not even worry about it."

She pulled me into a real hug, then, and I felt her breathing strain as she tried not to cry. The sensation stung me, too, as I realized just how deeply Bree had wounded her.

She really needed to hear me tell her I forgive her.

We stayed like that for a little while, and when Celestia had calmed down slightly she released me to resume walking to town.

After we'd gone a few paces, an idea occurred to me that made me scoff in amusement, causing Celestia to look at me quizzically. I smirked at her.

"That Bree really is a piece of work, huh?"

Celestia huffed, looking to the sky. "She really is! I don't think anypony would have dared to speak to me like that when I was on the throne. I suppose she thought I was 'fair game', as they say, now that I've abdicated."

"I dunno," I said, smirk deepening, "I think Starlight Glimmer might have been willing to go after you like that under the right circumstances."

Celestia's eyes shot wide, and she laughed suddenly, forcing her eyes back closed. "You're right! I don't think Twilight's student has a 'filter', as they say. Why, I remember her resolving a dispute between Luna and me by swapping our cutie marks."

I snorted. "Twilight told me about that. She practically had an aneurysm over it."

Celestia grinned at me. "I can't say I'm surprised! I very nearly lost my temper with that mare, but in the end she was right. I suppose, in retrospect, I can see how much worse I might have had it; Starlight only meant the best for us, so she was blunt, but never... mean-spirited. Could you imagine being raised by a mare like Bree?"

I shuddered. "Yeah, actually. I saw a lot of Cozy's memories of all of that."

Celestia frowned suddenly, realizing her faux pas. "Oh, Sunset, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

I waved her off. "It's fine. But yeah, it was a nightmare. I'm actually surprised Cozy didn't turn out worse in some ways, honestly."

Celestia snickered, shaking her head. "A strong-willed filly like that, under those circumstances? I think we're lucky she managed to stop at hitting Bree once. Not that I approve of such things, but..."

Celestia trailed off, tilting her head this way and that. I raised an eyebrow, and she shot me a sly look before continuing.

"Actually? I think I'm fine with it, just this once."

I belted out a hard laugh. That had caught me so completely by surprise!

"Wow, Celestia! I didn't know you had it in you! What happened to the eternal peacekeeper of Equestria?!"

"She retired, thank the stars!"

We shared a good laugh at that, and Celestia was wiping a tear off of her face when she next commented.

"Honestly, did you see the look on everypony's faces when that happened? I believe all of us thought we should say something, but..."

I grinned. "Yeah, but we were all on Cozy's side there, anyway. Although... I was actually a little worried."

Celestia looked at me with her eyebrows up. "Worried? Did you think Bree would become violent in turn?"

I grimaced. "No, not really. That would have been easy to deal with. I was worried because... well, you're right that we were lucky Cozy stopped at just fending her off. The whole reason she ran off in the first place was... she really, really wanted to hurt Bree. I mean, bad, like, kill her bad. I've never felt malice that overwhelming before. It was really, just... horrible."

Celestia nodded, pursing her lips in thought for a moment. "I suppose that makes sense. Abuse doesn't form overnight, and foals naturally love their parents... To Cozy, Bree must have been the center of the universe. I suppose the only way she could stop her mother from hurting her any more was by twisting every bit of affection she had for her into hatred."

I winced. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

Celestia sighed, watching the ground as we walked. "It's something I've seen a few times over the centuries. And... it's quite similar to what happened to Luna, for that matter."

I took a deep breath, thinking that over, and nodded. "I guess that's why she didn't scold Cozy for that outburst. She probably knew just how much worse it would have been if Cozy really lost it."

Celestia smiled at me, sadly. "I'm afraid Luna is all too familiar with that, yes."

We trotted on in quiet for a few moments before I broke the silence with an involuntary snicker. "There's definitely one thing Cozy got from her birth mother."

Celestia looked at me with a quirked eyebrow, and I snickered again as I spoke. "For all of the nastiness threw at you, Cozy's response to her was just... wow."

Celestia shook her head in confusion. "I don't see the humor. What Cozy said was an expression of pure hatred!"

I laughed, throwing my head back. "Yeah, but it was justified anger! And, I dunno, it's just, Bree had it coming. Who knows? Maybe it will wake her up. Either way, sorry, I just can't pretend I wasn't satisfied to see somepony lay into her like that. I guess it's just because I shared Cozy's memories."

Celestia watched me for a few moments, and then snickered herself. "Okay, I will admit that it was perhaps a bit satisfying. But we shouldn't celebrate such a horrible moment, I think."

I scoffed at her. "It wasn't horrible! Cozy was finally standing up to her mom, the way she should have been able to years ago! I think it was actually really good for her. I mean, you know as well as anypony that honesty is a vital element of harmony. It's not like it would have been better for Cozy to lie and pretend everything was fine, or keep hiding her feelings. Doing that was part of why she snapped in the first place!"

Celestia watched me as I spoke, and I was unnerved as her eyes seemed to brighten as I went on. She smiled warmly. What she said really took me aback, though.

"Sunset... you really have grown up."

I recoiled somewhat in confusion, and she went on.

"You're right, of course. I suppose years of mediating disputes have made me believe that if somepony vents whatever anger they have, all it will do is cause more strife. I am accustomed to tempers needing to cool over time, to things needing to blow over, but this was not a case where time spent holding one's tongue would somehow relieve things. Cozy..."

She sighed. "Cozy was never going to forgive Bree, nor do I believe they will ever reconcile in any way. So it was better for her to simply establish where they stand. I can't help but regret that such a thing has occurred in Equestria."

I bumped into Celestia forcefully, causing her to stagger slightly and look at me in surprise. "It's not your fault if somepony was so crazy they hurt everypony around them, Celestia. And you helped Cozy get the confidence to do something about it. Don't take this stuff so personally, and don't worry so much about it. I mean, Equestria is a place where bad things happen all the time, but we overcome them and come out stronger in the end. That's how it's always been, isn't it?"

Celestia laughed, nodding. "You're right. That is the recurring theme of this kingdom, it seems. I suppose I'm just more accustomed to villainous attacks than broken relationships."

I snickered. "Well, just think of Bree as a villain, then. That's definitely how I see her. Come on, Celestia, what do you really think of her?"

Celestia huffed. "I would never speak ill of one of my little ponies."

Her mouth was twitching with the desire to smirk, and I leaned in. "But you're not the big princess of the sun any more, are you? You can say whatever you want."

Celestia grinned slyly, then drew herself up into a regal posture, strutting exaggeratedly. "Sunset, you well know that, reigning princess or not, I would never lower myself to bad-mouthing somepony else. Even if that pony should happen to be a massive cunt."

I reeled, my ears feeling like they lit on fire. "Whoa-ho-ho! I can't believe what I just heard! Since when do you have a vocabulary like that?"

Celestia rolled her eyes, laughing. "Sunset, I've dealt with the angriest ponies and vilest villains for a thousand years! I've heard more profanity than the rest of Equestria combined, in all likelihood."

I blew a raspberry. "Not as long as I'm on this side of the portal. You should try online gaming in the human world sometime; the stuff they say sometimes is just awful."

Celestia shrugged, still strutting like nothing had happened. Her voice came out overly formal, and I could tell she was enjoying the act. "Perhaps I'll do that. I have all of the time in the world, after all."

She narrowed her eyes at me and grinned. "I'll show those human gamers how it's really done."

I couldn't stop snickering at that mental image as we finally came to the outskirts of Ponyville proper.

"Watch out, Xbox Live; Celestia's here to dunk on all of the haters."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. " 'Dunk' on them? I believe I heard Cozy say something similar. Is there some hidden, profane double-meaning to that phrase?"

I laughed, waving her off. "No, no. Don't worry, I haven't been exposing your niece to any filth. It just means you owned somepony."

Celestia cocked her head. " 'Owned'? Do humans practice slavery?"

I groaned. "Nono, I mean... well... actually, some do, and there's prison labor, but that's not what I meant!"

Celestia recoiled, staring at me flatly. "And you willingly live in that place?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Okay, look. What I mean is that it's just a term meaning you really kicked somepony's flank."

Celestia ruffled her feathers. "How garish and violent."

I opened my mouth, snapped it shut, and stared at her flatly. "You're just messing with me, aren't you."

Celestia's grin grew wide and her eyes twinkled. "Gotcha."

I groaned and rubbed my head. "Okay, okay, that one goes to you."

"Indeed, I have dunked upon you."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, rolling my eyes. "OKAY, okay, enough of that. I can only handle so much of you being cool in one evening or my head will explode."

"That's the secret, Sunset," Celestia said with a self-satisfied smirk, "if you build up a thousand-year reputation for being reserved and dignified, it just hits that much harder when you cut loose."

I snorted. "Discord would definitely approve of this side of you."

Celestia's cheeks colored slightly. "Oh, he knows. That draconequus has no sense of privacy or decorum. I believe it's become something of a game between us, as he tries to goad me into antics."

I snickered. "I guess he's succeeded a few times?"

Celestia groaned. "Oh, back when we first met, certainly. I was hardly as mature as I am now. I lost my temper with him more than once, much to his delight."

I sighed happily, pressing into her. "Well, I'm glad to see you haven't lost the ability to loosen up over the years."

Celestia draped a wing over me and smiled. "I learned a long time ago, with Luna, that it's important to let the masks down with family."

I felt my cheeks heat up at that, and Celestia seemed to suddenly register what she'd said. She withdrew her wing, her own face coloring visibly, and cleared her throat to speak.

"Erm, we should be making our way... somewhere."

I nodded hurriedly. "Right, yeah, um... I guess I should head home."

Celestia nodded, straining to recover some sort of poise. "And my home is in the other direction, so..."

I chewed my lip over, thinking quickly. "Y'know... Silver Shoals is a good ways from here. It's been a pretty exhausting day, and my place is a lot closer, once we cross through the portal... if you'd rather spend the night there."

Celestia's smile wasn't like her usual, serene glow or her mischievous grin, but was instead broad and spontaneous, lighting up her whole face.

"I'd love that, Sunset."

I grinned sheepishly. "It's hardly accommodations fit for a princess, but..."

She raised an eyebrow, and tousled my hair. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed that, myself. "I'm sure it will be fine. As long as we can spend some time together, I think I will be quite at ease."

We went together in companionable silence, passing through the castle and portal with a sense of excitement. As Celestia passed through, I caught her hand and helped her stay upright. Then a familiar voice caught us both off-guard from the direction of the school.

"What the heck?"

There, right in front of the school, lit up only by the street lights, was Principal Celestia, coffee in hand. She and Princess Celestia locked eyes, and I coughed lightly.

"Well this is awkward."

Rebuff

View Online

Sunset and Celestia turned to leave shortly after Cozy and Luna departed. Silence pervaded the meadow, and awkward looks went around all the ponies gathered there.

"Well!" Twilight piped up, clearly uncomfortable as any of us, "I guess I can set the sun now! I should do that! Now!"

She forced a deeply uncomfortable laugh and flew into the air, and set about beginning the overdue night. I turned to leave, but Bree's voice caught me off-guard.

"Wait... Starlight, wait."

Oh, good grief. What now?

I turned back to look at the mare, and I was surprised to see what seemed to be legitimate anguish on her face. She looked at the distant, retreating forms of Luna and Cozy, and then back to me. I heard a note of panic in her voice when she spoke.

"What... what do I do? What should I do? It seems like everypony hates me..."

She was on the verge of tears, now, and I restrained the urge to roll my eyes. I took a deep, bracing breath, and considered my response before I spoke.

I'm not falling for this mare's pity-me routine again. She's only sorry she got caught.

"Everypony's angry at you because you did bad things, Bree. And you don't seem sorry about that. I don't even know if you fully understand why what you did was wrong. I saw in your record that you were arrested after Cozy filed a report with the Canterlot police; I'd have hoped they would try to reform you in prison, but I guess it didn't stick."

Bree grimaced, and she angrily opened her mouth to say something, but flinched and hesitated. She looked down at the ground and sighed. "I... they had to drop most of the charges, because Cozy disappeared right after filing them. I guess she went to that friendship school."

My eyes shot open. "Wait, is that why you never looked for her before?"

She's completely shameless, isn't she?! Then again... I guess she's admitting this for a reason. Maybe she really is sorry, but I can't afford to believe her.

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I figured she had decided to let it go, and... I didn't have much choice but to do the same, unless I wanted to stay in prison longer. I took it all as a warning. Besides, I really was trying to get my other two kids back at the time."

I groaned, rubbing my head, but then suddenly dropped my hoof and stared at her. "Wait, is that why you came running over here to Ponyville as soon as you heard she was back? You wanted to make sure she'd keep quiet?"

Bree flinched and waved a hoof at me, shaking her head frantically. "No! I just saw what I thought was a chance to fix everything, to put my family back together!"

I stared at her, narrowing my eyes. "Really?"

She dropped her hoof and sank back down. "I won't say it didn't occur to me, but I figured if Cozy hadn't brought it up already, she wasn't going to."

Well, I guess that makes sense, and it would be weird for her to admit all of this if she wasn't having second thoughts. Still, I don't know what she wants from me.

I chewed my lip over for a few seconds. "I guess I buy that. But since you managed to slip out of a proper prison sentence, I guess you're going to have to work on reforming yourself."

Bree looked up at me, pleadingly. It struck a deep chord in me to be on the other side of this situation. "How? I don't even know where to begin."

"Try making new relationships. Go find somepony who shares your interest and make a friend."

Bree frowned, scuffing the ground with a hoof, reminding me of Cozy. "And what will stop me from ruining that, too? I apparently can't hold any relationships together."

My mind went back to a similar conversation I'd had once, and I sighed. "It's not easy, but you just have to work through it and do your best to make sure that never happens. And as for where to start, well..."

I brushed the last of the dark crystals off of my horn; they had been slowly chipping off ever since I'd been hit, and it looked like I was finally free. I magically opened my saddlebag and floated a copy of the friendship journal over to her.

"You might find this helpful."

Bree took the journal under a wing, and hesitantly reached a hoof towards me. "Do you think you—"

I held a hoof up. "No. I'm sorry, but... no. I'm friends with Cozy, and you really shouldn't come around Ponyville again. We saw how badly she reacted this time, and I think if she keeps worrying about you showing up again, it'll be a serious problem for her. But there are all kinds of ponies and creatures out there who'd be willing to give you a chance."

Bree set her hoof down, and seemed deep in thought as the guards came to take her away from Ponyville. I turned to leave, but called over my shoulder as I went.

"Everypony deserves a second chance, Bree, but if you cling to your past it will just keep you from building a future."

I started trotting away. The sun had gone down while we were speaking, and Twilight had just lifted the moon and landed by the time I reached her. We set off, and I noticed Rainbow Dash and Applejack keeping pace with us; the others seemed to break off to head to their homes. Twilight sighed and patted me on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Starlight. I know that must have been pretty hard for you, but I couldn't have done better myself." She smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I don't think I could have even handled it that well."

"Aww. Thanks, Twilight. I appreciate it. I kinda started this mess, so I felt like I had to do whatever I could to fix it."

Rainbow Dash huffed as she pulled up besides me. "Honestly, I'm surprised you were as nice as you were. That mare deserved a lot more than a smack and some yelling!"

Applejack pulled in beside us as well, swatting Rainbow Dash on the shoulder. "Dash! That's Cozy's mother you're talkin' about!"

I cringed slightly. Right, we haven't had a chance to explain the full situation to them, yet.

I opened my mouth to interject, but Rainbow rolled her eyes and beat me to it. "Uh, no, Luna is Cozy's mom. That," she pointed behind her with a hoof, "was just somepony she used to know."

Applejack grumbled. "I thought you learned the importance of appreciatin' family a while back, Dash."

Rainbow Dash fixed Applejack with an uncharacteristically severe look. "I did. And that's why I know the difference between somepony who happens to be related to you, and somepony who's actually family. Or, what, is Scootaloo less of a sister to me because we don't have the same parents?"

Applejack stammered slightly. "Ah-alright, now, simmer down. I didn't mean to say that, I just don't think it's right for there to be so much anger between kin, is all. Reminds me of the feud that took Grandpear away from us for so long."

Rainbow Dash's look softened, and she relented with a wave of her hoof and a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, okay, that's fair enough. Sorry, AJ. I still don't think Cozy should give her the time of day, but, like... I see where you're coming from."

Applejack bumped into Dash playfully. "Same here, Dash."

Twilight snickered. "You two sure have gotten better at dealing with your disagreements over the years."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. Getting more awesome over time is my thing." She grinned playfully, and I snorted and cut in with, "And what about AJ?"

Applejack barked a laugh. "She must jus' be rubbin' off on me."

Rainbow Dash laughed at that in turn, and they traded a hoofbump. I smirked. "With setups like that I'm shocked you two didn't end up being champions at Buckball."

Dash just huffed, and affected a Rarity impression. "Our awesomeness can't be contained to a mere sports field, darling. The world is our stadium!"

Applejack hooted with laughter, and even Twilight was snickering hard. I snorted and rolled my eyes as we continued walking. After the laughter had died down, Twilight brushed me gently with a wing to get my attention.

"How is Cozy doing, though? Really? I haven't been able to drop in on her since she got back, and, well... seeing what happened today didn't make a great impression."

I sighed. "Honestly, I haven't gotten to see much of her, either! We spent some time together the other day, and she seemed fine – I mean, she was a little depressed maybe, but I had no idea she had feelings like... like that pent up. Even with Sunset's warnings I didn't really get it until I saw it with my own eyes."

Twilight nodded, eyes downcast. "Me either. I keep wondering if there was more I could have done to keep things from coming to this..."

I nudged her. "Hey. Nopony can do it all themselves, right? That's why you have all of us! We took care of it."

Twilight frowned up at me. "But you saw her! She used dark magic – a lot of it! That's going to leave a mark on her for sure."

A new voice suddenly came from above us.

"Oh, I don't know if I'd worry so much about that. Besides, isn't anypony going to ask about me?"

We all looked up to see Discord floating past in midair. Then he suddenly fell to the ground with an audible grunt, and picked himself up, looking at his lion's paw in irritation. I gasped when I realized it had been turned to stone.

"Discord, what happened to you?!"

Discord smirked, gesticulating wildly with his stone paw. "Oh, this? I thought I'd go for a 'cockatrice chic' look this season, you know. It's really 'in' with the villains; just look at Tirek!"

That got a snort out of Dash, but Twilight was having none of it. She flew up to look at his paw with concern.

"How did this happen? This is harmony magic! But none of us...!"

Discord smirked. "Well, that little filly you were oh-so-concerned had fallen to the Dark Side apparently has disagreements on whether or not it will forever dominate her destiny."

We all just stared at him for a second.

"Huh?"

"Whaaa...?"

Twilight was the first to catch up. "Wait, you're saying Cozy Glow did this to you? How?!"

Discord stretched himself to his full height. "Well you see, I saw Sunset's distress signal, and realizing it was probably related to Cozy Glow, I rode in like a knight in shining armor to save the day!"

He snapped his talons, causing a suit of armor to suddenly appear around him, complete with a shiny sword. Then it all suddenly fell off of him, just as he was posing dramatically. "Err... I said, I rode in like a knight in shining armor to save the day!"

He snapped again, and the armor re-appeared around him, only to fall off again. The sword flopped down in his talons like it was made of soft rubber. He sighed.

"Oh fiddlesticks. My magic's still quite on the fritz. In any case, just use your imagination. So there I was! Saving the day, confronting Cozy Glow while she threw dark magic THIS way and THAT way, and I tried asking her if she was really quite alright. Only, she didn't seem to understand what I said, and became quite agitated."

Twilight balked. "But, dark magic can't even affect you! I saw—" she was hushed by a stone paw padding her lips as Discord shushed her.

"Now now, Princess, it's rude to interrupt. So she was quite upset, and seemed to believe I had come to wreak havoc on Equestria, or somesuch. Honestly, she wasn't making much sense, but I figured if I just calmed her down and maaaybe cancelled out her magic, I could talk some sense into her. Imagine my surprise when her response to my attempted spell was to shoot me with a miniature blast of harmony magic!"

Twilight was studying his paw with intense interest. "Fascinating. So somehow, tapping into her dark magic also let her harness her other feelings and focus them into a magical expression, even without a horn! This could be a huge breakthrough in diffuse thaumaturgical dynamics!"

Discord stared at Twilight flatly. "Riveting, I'm sure. And certainly the main thing you should be focusing on when looking at my petrified paw, Princess."

Twilight looked at him in confusion, then blushed and shrank away sheepishly. "Oh, right. Sorry. Here."

Her horn charged brilliantly, and I had to shield my eyes as she focused her magic on his paw. The stone flecked away, and after a few seconds his paw burst forth from its prison. Discord flexed it experimentally a few times, and then sighed in relief.

"Well thank you, Twilight. Honestly I was worried that would take hours to work itself out. If it weren't for the extenuating circumstances, I'd be honor-bound to prank that Cozy Glow in response."

I cocked my head in surprise. "You mean you're not mad at her for doing that?"

Discord laughed at that, and suddenly appeared above me, bending over backwards in midair to put his face uncomfortably close to mine. "Of course not! I'm mad at the pony I should be mad at! Honestly, Starlight, what good is vengeance if it's misplaced?"

I recoiled. "Uh... do you mean me?"

Discord rolled his eyes so hard they fell out. It was gross. "No, no. Obviously, I mean that Bright Eyes lady. I mean, she shows up out of nowhere," he popped his eyes back in and huffed a cloud of steam, "and ruins my perfectly-good Cozy Glow reformation arc! That's just rude."

I hesitated, leaning back. "Uhh... yeah, I think we can all agree she's a piece of work, but are you sure pranking her is really a good idea? She seems pretty miserable just being herself."

Discord appeared a short distance, leaning backwards and holding his paws up as though he'd just been shoved. "Oh my! Starlight, has anypony ever told you that words can hurt?"

I snorted. "I'm just being honest. She's a miserable mare, both emotionally and to ponies around her."

Rainbow flew up between us and look at me, gesturing at Discord. "Y'know, if he keeps her busy with his pranks, maybe it'll keep her from coming around and causing trouble again."

I frowned. "Rainbow, that's still just being mean. She needs to get a fresh start on life, not get harassed over her past mistakes forever."

Discord's voice suddenly came from under me, and I leapt back with a yelp when I realized I was standing on him, somehow. "Oh, just so, Starlight, just so. Something you and I are quite familiar with, the need for second chances." He leaned up into a sitting position and smiled at me. "In which case, I'll go ahead and give her that fresh start you're talking about."

I eyed him suspiciously. "And why do you suddenly care about all of this so much?"

Discord's smile vanished, replaced by a faint frown. He stared at me for a few seconds. "You know, Starlight, I used to have fun making ponies act crazy or miserable." He thumbed over at Twilight. "I once drove our great Princess to despair, you know. She couldn't deal with losing all of her friends at once."

I grimaced. "So? What's your point?"

He continued staring at me, not doing anything the least bit zany. It was honestly unnerving. "Because, Starlight, even I've never made a pony as miserable as Cozy was. There are certain lines I won't cross, like trapping a being in stone with full awareness of their surroundings, for instance." His pupils distorted slightly, turning sharp and glowing for a second. "Hurting a foal like she did isn't acceptable."

I took an uneasy step backwards, and everyone was quiet. He frowned at me, looking bored, and snapped his paw, disappearing. I lifted a hoof unsteadily. "Uhh... anypony else worried about that?"

Twilight paused for a second, like she was calculating something, and then relaxed and shook her head.

"Don't stress out over it, Starlight. Like he said, Discord has lines he won't cross."

I gawped at her. "Wait, seriously?! He just did the Discord equivalent of storming off to give somepony a piece of his mind, and you're not worried? About Discord causing trouble?"

Twilight shrugged with a smile. "He's a friend. I'm choosing to believe in him until he gives me a reason not to."

I facehoofed. "Didn't he cause the whole Battle of the Bell with his antics?"

She smiled uneasily. "Ahahaha! Yeah, well... he meant well. And honestly, he tried to make it up to us. I've moved past it."

I sighed and smiled, setting my hoof down. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright. Fair enough. We'll just see what he does. I can't deny he did a good job with Cozy."

Rainbow snickered. "What's the worst that can happen, he makes Bree miserable? Fine by me!"

I fixed Dash with a stern look. "Rainbow, where is all of this aggression coming from? You seem awfully angry at Bree. I thought you didn't even like Cozy."

Rainbow froze, hesitating, and drew back a bit. She shrugged unconvincingly. "Well, like, anypony could see how awful she was. That stuff she said to Celestia was vile."

I skeptically leaned in with an eyebrow up. "... and?"

Dash leaned back, grimacing and looking around, but Applejack and Twilight were scrutinizing her the same as I was. She finally just slumped onto her rear and threw her hooves up.

"It's complicated, alright?! I mean, Cozy really hurt my friends! Twilight was a wreck after what she did, and you were upset, too! Neither of you could believe one of our students could do that – I didn't believe it! Out of every lesson she had, every element she was supposed to learn, she went back on mine the hardest! How do you think that made me feel?"

I was taken aback by the sudden outpouring of emotion from the normally-composed pegasus, but she didn't let me get a word in edgewise. "But the thing is, she's Luna's daughter now, and Celestia's niece, and Sunset's cousin-friend-thing, I don't even know... and I don't know any of those ponies all that well, but they're all still friends of mine, and they're friends of my friends, so it's not like I can just pretend Cozy is nopony to me, either."

She took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes as she continued. "And then Sunset told me about how we were friends in the other timeline, how apparently Cozy modeled her whole 'super hero' thing off of me, and it would be rough for her when she got back because we wouldn't be friends anymore. How am I supposed to deal with all of that? She remembers us being friends, but the last time I saw her, she was stabbing all of us in the back!"

Rainbow was visibly upset now; not on the verge of tears, but I could see she was in pain.

I had no idea this was eating at her so badly... she never speaks about it at all. Why didn't she mention it?

Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've just been avoiding her. I didn't know what to think, so I stayed busy and kept my distance. And then the next time I hear about her, she's apparently having a hardcore freakout because her evil ex-mom came to visit, and now we might have to hit her with the elements of harmony again? The first thing that went through my head when Twilight filled me in was, 'is this because of me?' Was it because I hadn't given her another chance? What if I could have prevented it? There's no way I could bring myself to hurt her if it was my fault she'd lost it."

Dash looked off at the clouds in the moonlight, shaking her head. "And then I got to see what her old mom was like, and I was just thinking, 'we messed up so bad with that filly.' She needed a lot more than we could give her, and we threw her in Tartarus when the real monster was somepony else all along."

I leaned forward and pressed a hoof to Dash's barrel. "Rainbow, just because her mother was a monster doesn't mean Cozy's actions can be ignored. She made choices – really, really bad ones – and those are still her choices. It's not like her siblings turned into villains just because of their upbringing. You can't just—"

Dash scoffed and pushed my hoof off. "I know that! I'm not saying it excuses her, or whatever. It's just, like, we just thought she was bad. Or I did, anyway. I just thought she was bad, and so she did bad things, but it's all a lot more complicated than that. If she can be a monster in one timeline, and a hero in another, and it's the same filly, then there's clearly a lot more going on with her. And I missed it, even though I was supposed to be her teacher... and that's on me."

I hesitated, unsure of what to say to that, and Twilight swept in and wrapped Dash in a big hug. "Oh, Rainbow, I had no idea you felt that way! I'm so sorry! I didn't think asking all of you to be teachers would be so hard on you!"

Dash struggled against Twilight, frowning. "H-hey, Twilight, stop with the mushy stuff, okay? I don't regret being a teacher, I just regret not being a better one to Cozy."

I took in a sharp breath. "Dash, the School of Friendship is new. We're all learning as we go, making mistakes and growing wiser. You can't hold that against yourself."

Dash huffed out a small laugh, still trying to push Twilight off. She spoke so quietly I almost missed it.

"Yeah? Watch me."

I frowned, thinking over what she'd said. "Rainbow, did you keep all of this to yourself because you thought we'd brush off your feelings? Or think they were silly?"

Dash stopped struggling with Twilight for a moment, and slumped slightly. "Yeah... I guess I didn't think you guys would get it."

Twilight, still latched onto Dash, frowned. "Well I get it. And I'm sorry you went through that alone."

Rainbow shrugged, taking a deep breath, and forced herself to perk up a bit. "It's alright. I don't have to anymore, right? So it's all good."

Applejack, who had taken off her hat and studied the ground during Rainbow's speech, nodded. "I felt the same way you did, Dash. Cozy made me wonder if I was wastin' my time at that school. When Discord said she was better, it made me wonder... if we'd been better at our jobs, would she still have turned on us? I dunno, but it sure didn't make me feel good about mahself."

I sighed, rubbing my head. "I was the school guidance counselor, and probably the closest pony to her, and even I didn't see what she really was or what she needed. I felt the same way, so I was avoiding her, too... it was only after I was worried about Bree coming down here and causing trouble I finally went to go see her."

Applejack took a deep breath and put her hat back on, adjusting it, and fixed me with a serious look. "I think I missed somethin' about this whole mess. I thought we were here to stop Cozy, or help her reconcile with her, uh, old mother."

"Birth mother," Twilight put in with a smirk, finally releasing Dash. Applejack shrugged.

"I mean, we weren't given a whole lotta' info aside from Cozy going crazy, and we had to be ready to stop her with the elements. When we got here, Bree was actin' pretty rotten, but I chalked that up to her lookin' for her kid. What was with the guards escorting her out, and all?"

I sighed, looking away, and I felt heat creep into my neck as I thought about my role in this. "Bree isn't allowed near her kids any more, Applejack. There's a court-order against her for abuse."

Applejack's eyes bugged out. "Wait, what?! What in tarnation did she do to'em for that to happen?"

I cringed. "Well... what we know for sure is that she hit them, locked them up, made them go hungry, that sort of thing. Way beyond what could be considered disciplinary treatment."

Applejack recoiled in shock, her accent growing thicker as she grew agitated. "What the hay?! What would she do that for? Ah've heard of some folk spankin' their foals, but Ah always thought that was reserved for really serious situations."

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow at Applejack. "Didn't I hear Granny Smith say something about," she bugged an eye out and affected her best old-pony voice, " 'tannin' yer hahd, applejeck'?"

Applejack snorted and rolled her eyes at the impression. "Sure, she'd say stuff like that, but all we'd ever get was an ear-chewin'. Even after the whole mess with the apple blight, she never laid a hoof on Mac or me. It's jus' an expression. Ol' Apple family wisdom is, if you beat a puppy, it grows up into a mean dog."

I winced. "I hope nopony ever tested that theory."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at me. "Ain't that what we just saw, though? I mean, dog metaphor aside, Cozy definitely grew up mean, and I think I can see why, even if it don't excuse her behavior."

I hung my head low. "And it's my fault Bree knew that Cozy was back. We've been looking for Cozy's parents since the magic-theft incident, and I was so excited to finally get a chance to look into her background I let the fact that she was free slip."

Rainbow winced. "Jeez, so you're the reason that mare was here? No wonder you've been acting so down about all of this. I'd have expected you to get more up in Bree's face, but it seemed like you were almost going to make friends with her at the end there."

I shuddered. "No. No way. If that mare wants to start over, she's going to have to do it on her own. If nothing else, I can't let her come around Cozy ever again; I owe the filly that much after my mistake."

Dash snickered. "And that's coming from the mare who was going to be there for Chrysalis."

I looked away. "Yeah, well, that was different. Maybe it seems silly to you, but I felt like... I felt like I'd have better luck with Chrysalis than Bree. I don't know what it would take to reform that mare; she already had love, family, and friendship, and she destroyed it all herself. Maybe I was wrong to turn her away, but I just... I couldn't stomach the idea of trying to be friends with her at the same time as Cozy. Not after everything she did."

Rainbow Dash huffed, giving me a playful swat to the shoulder. "Welcome to 'loyalty 101', Professor Dash here. You get an 'A', Starlight. I mean seriously, why would you feel bad about turning her away when you need to protect Cozy? It's obvious Bree was just looking for another way to get at her; or at least, that's too big of a possibility for you to ignore. You were just being a real friend to Cozy. You don't have to run around being nice to every jerk and enable them to hurt other ponies just because you're not proud of your own past; heck, is that what you'd tell Cozy Glow to do if she asked?"

I stared at Rainbow for a few seconds in thought. "N-no! You're right, I wouldn't tell her that. I didn't even think about that, but... you're right, I felt like Bree would just use me to hurt her. It's just, I feel like after all of the bad things I did, how can I leave a pony out in the cold like that?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You didn't leave her out in the anything, Glimglam," I groaned at the nickname as Dash continued, "she's a grown-up mare, she brought this on herself, and even though she used your kindness against you, you still threw her a lifeline. You're done with that mare. Wash your hooves of it and move on. Trust me, it's not worth wasting your friendship on somepony who doesn't deserve it."

I felt Twilight's hoof on my other shoulder, and glanced over to see her smiling softly at me. "Starlight, Dash is right. You aren't obligated to be friends with anypony, regardless of what you did in the past. You gave her a way to better herself; now it's up to her to follow it. You gave her nothing but the benefit of the doubt since you met her, and she used that against you; that's why you're so upset over your 'mistake', right? I think you were being a good friend, turning her down."

I choked up slightly, chewing my lip over. "I guess kindness needs to come with firmness, too, even if you feel bad about your own past."

Twilight winked at me. "Sunset and Fluttershy have both written about that, but I think this case is just complex enough to warrant a new entry in the next edition of that journal. And Rainbow can help you write it."

Dash groaned playfully. "Aww man, homework."

Applejack cleared her throat, and then looked at Dash quizzically. "Say, Rainbow... you were pretty dead-set against Bree from the start, but you didn't know any more'n I did comin' in to this, right? How come you saw what she was all about so fast?"

Rainbow went silent, taking a few deep breaths and scanning the night sky for a few moments before replying. "Gilda. Lightning Dust. The Wonderbolts. Heck, even before that... I've been in a lot of situations where the best thing to do is to just walk away from somepony, Applejack. And I do get the importance of family, which means I also know how bad things have to be for somepony to walk away from one."

She shrugged, looking down to the ground. "When I heard Luna had adopted Cozy, I knew that must mean one of two things: either Cozy never had a family to begin with, or her original family was terrible. So when I was told her birth-mom was here and she had freaked out, I knew the score. It's not like Bree did anything to dispel the image I had of her in my head when I saw her, either; the stuff she said, the way she acted, I recognize all of that. It's one thing to argue to get what you want the way Twilight does, with logic and stuff, but that's not how Bree was going about it at all. She attacked Celestia's relationships, her loyalty and her own failures, just like she'd gone after Starlight."

Dash grimaced. "Using somepony's fears and doubts against them is low already, but when those fears and doubts come from their love for other ponies? That's evil. Trying to turn friendship into a weakness..." Dash shuddered. "Yeah, no, that pretty much sealed it for me, even before I saw how Cozy reacted. I'm not surprised to hear Cozy was abused, either; that violent outburst at Bree trying to touch her gave it away. Remember when we had to study the warning signs for abuse to get the school EEA certified, Applejack?"

Applejack's eyes widened, and she nodded. "That's what they meant? The coursework on that was pretty light, so..."

Rainbow huffed. "Not for me. They classified my class as gym, so I had to learn ten times as much about foal reactions to being touched and stuff like that. And... I guess it came in handy, so maybe that was for the best. I just wish I'd realized it sooner, or... that I hadn't avoided her since she came back. Maybe I could've helped."

Twilight frowned, her wings flapping slightly in discomfort. "I still haven't spent any time with her. Not since she got back, anyway. I don't even know if she'd want to see me."

Applejack sighed, pulling the brim of her hat down in shame. "The first thing I asked her when I saw her in the market was... why she did it. Why she'd lost it on us. She said she'd never really understood love 'fore she met Luna. Ah didn' even know what to say to that. She seemed scared of me."

I nodded, thinking back. "She seems a little scared of everypony. Or scared of offending them, I'm not really sure. She's been punished pretty severely a few different times, and I think that's made her skittish... plus, she just went from being a powerful hero to being a regular pegasus foal, or pretty close. I think she's been waiting to see if the other shoe is going to drop ever since she got back."

I groaned, facehoofing. "Maybe that's why she hasn't come back to the school. All of us have been avoiding her, and she's not sure any of us want to see her again, so nopony is willing to make the first move."

Ugh, stupid, Starlight! You should have done something about this as soon as she got back!

Twilight caught me off guard by smiling at me and laying a hoof on my shoulder.

"Well, that's nothing we can't fix. We should just get together and see her, sometime! Or maybe just one on one, if you think she'd be more comfortable with that. I'm sure everypony would love to hear her stories about being a hero, though, if nothing else."

I sighed in relief. And that's the Princess of Friendship to the rescue, everypony. "Thanks, Twilight. I think you're right, and she'd probably love to talk about that."

Dash stepped up closer and nodded. "I'm always up for awesome stories, or stories about awesomeness, so count me in."

Applejack smiled and set a hoof on my back. "Shoot, I don't figure it'd hurt anything to hear how she spent her time in the other world, and it might help us put all that bad blood behind us."

I smiled at all of them and nodded. "Thanks, girls. I couldn't ask for better support."

And here's hoping it makes up for my mistake.

We said our goodbyes and parted ways shortly after that, but I felt a sense of purpose as I went back to the crystal castle, head held high. The headmare of the School of Friendship knew what she was doing!

It was with that confidence I opened the door to the crystal castle. Two Lunas were standing there, apparently mid-conversation, and froze when they saw me. I held up a hoof.

NOPE.

"Carry on with whatever this is, I don't want to know, I'm going to bed."

I passed by the both of them, and only stopped as I reached the end of the hallway. I glanced back. "This isn't some changeling-invasion-type-deal, right?"

One of the Lunas shook her head. "No, Starlight. This is—"

"Good enough for me!"

I went to bed.

Eclipse

View Online

Shortly after getting home, Cozy gave a loud yawn, stretching out for extra emphasis.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep. Don't worry about me, I just need a little time to think."

Is it really for the best to leave her to her own devices for now?

I furrowed a brow in concern and nuzzled her.

“Are you absolutely sure? I can stay with you, if you wish.”

She waved a hoof at me, trying to seem relaxed, but it was clear she was still very tense.

“It’s fine, Mom. I mean… it’s not really fine, but just let me work through it. I know I can come to you if I need to.”

She is putting on a brave face for me, but will she really be alright?

Well, I suppose I do understand the need for time to oneself to sort through issues.

I gently tousled her hair.

“You were brave today, Cozy. Many ponies never find the courage to stand up to the ones closest to them.”

She snorted as she trotted up the stairs. “Well, that was my secret. I got closer to a lot of better ponies, so she doesn’t seem quite so important any more.”

I couldn't keep the smile from my face at her warm words, and she smiled back at me before ascending the staircase. And with that, I was left to my own thoughts.

Those streaks in her wings, paired with what I was told by Starlight... it seems Cozy is both more powerful and more disturbed than we had thought.

I fretted, chewing my lip, and I felt a nervous episode coming on. I took a deep breath and grit my teeth.

I need to focus. This is not within my area of experience. Well... I have some experience with dark magic, but it will hardly help here. I need to consult with somepony else, but who?

My thoughts went to the other pony closest to Cozy.

My niece. She lives in the human world... perhaps I should check with her? She could certainly offer me more insight, provided she didn't feel it was a violation of Cozy's privacy.

I struggled with that for a moment, but in the end my concern for my daughter won out. I grabbed my saddlebags in my magic and headed for the crystal castle, surprised to find it still empty; at first, I thought I would need to wait for Starlight Glimmer to return, but I was surprised to find the portal already active.

I suppose Sunset already made it back through. In that case, it shouldn't be too hard to find her, right? I believe I recall her describing where she lives.

I passed through the mirror portal, taking care to stand on my hind legs as I did so, and emerged into a crisp, cool night. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, and took stock of my surroundings. The school was closed, of course, but I spied a dim light shining from one of the windows on the side.

Ah! Some sort of night guard? Perhaps they can assist me.

I strode over to the window and gently rapped on it, hoping not to spook whomever was on the other side. The blinds were pulled up, and I stared at the person on the other side. She did the same.

I looked down at my outfit; a flowing, blue dress with a star pattern. I looked at hers; a casual sweater and trousers.

Not a mirror, then.

I facepalmed at the same time she did. It seems I have hit back upon my knack for making things awkward.

The other woman – Luna, I supposed – pointed at the front door, and walked away from the window and out of her office. I made my way to the door, and in short order she had unlocked the door and looked me up and down. I grimaced, about to apologize, but she spoke first.

"Is it 'meet your doubles' night, or something?"

I stammered. "E-excuse me? I don't know what you mean."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "First, Sunset brought a copy of my sister through the portal, and the three of them left me here to finish the paperwork. Now you've shown up – I presume you are the Equestrian version of me? Luna?"

She stared at me expectantly, and I drew myself up, digesting this new information. "I am Princess Luna, yes. You said my sister came through earlier?"

She nodded stiffly. "She did indeed. I believe she intends to spend some time with Sunset Shimmer. The two are, I gathered, reconnecting."

I smiled at that, a sense of warmth growing in me. "That's fantastic! A-ahem, I'm glad to hear that they've finally started to move past their differences. Erm, could you tell me where they went? I had actually wanted to speak with Sunset Shimmer about something this evening – although..."

I chewed my lip and glanced away. "I suppose if she is reconnecting with my sister, I should leave them to it..."

The other Luna cocked her head. "It must be something important for you to have come here in search of her."

I looked back to her, debating in my mind whether I should trust her. But then again...

If anypony could understand, it would be her, would it not? Or anycreature, in this case, I suppose.

"It is regarding my daughter... I could use some perspective on how to deal with her problems."

She seemed taken aback by that, holding a hand up to her chest in surprise. "You have a daughter? I..."

I nodded sheepishly, smiling. "I adopted her recently. Her name is Cozy Glow."

She stared at me for a few seconds, rubbing her chin, and then opened the door wider. "Why don't you come inside? I think I would like to hear more about this."

Well, I suppose it's not as if I can speak with Sunset this evening, so it could not hurt to get the perspective of my double, could it?

We passed through the halls of the school in silence, coming to stop at an area I identified as a faculty lounge. We took seats at a small card table and the other Luna steepled her fingers much as I had the last time I came through the portal, eliciting a grin from me.

A-ha! So that IS the gesture I was looking for!

The other Luna quirked an eyebrow at me, but seemed to discount the odd face I'd made. "So. What seems to be the trouble with your daughter?"

I leaned back, considering where to even begin. "I suppose I should explain beginning with the first time she caused an incident..."

What followed was the most succinct recap of Cozy's exploits and experiences I could manage, ending in what had occurred this evening. My counterpart only interrupted to ask a few simple questions about magic in Equestria, filling in the blanks. After I had finished, she leaned back, contemplative.

"I see. So you say she seems to have been using this dark magic, but also that she channeled the power of love, at the same time?"

I nodded, folding my arms and leaning back as well. "I don't know what it says for her mental well-being..."

My counterpart gave a nonchalant shrug, surprising me. "I'd say it indicates she's an emotional, traumatized teenager. Based on what you've described, it sounds like she hates herself, her past, and her birth-mother; combine that with her sense of inadequacy now that she's been stripped of her power and purpose, and her fear of losing what she has left, and I'm not surprised that a magic fueled by those same two emotions – hatred and fear – would show up."

I blinked a few times, slowly cupping my chin in thought and considering. "Do you really think it's that simple...?"

She slowly raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "In my experience, even adults' emotional problems tend to be fairly straightforward when you move past focusing on the details. Children, even moreso."

I balked at that. "But dark magic is a dangerous, corrosive force! The more of it she uses, the greater the risk to her mind! She still has marks from using it as it is!"

My counterpart frowned. "But you used dark magic once, did you not? Are you still tainted from its use?"

I shook my head. "That's different! I was cleansed by the elements of harmony—"

"And the power of love magic can also cleanse dark magic, can it not?"

I stopped short, thinking, and nodded slowly. She leaned back forward.

"In that case, it sounds to me like you are overthinking things. Yes, she still has darkness clinging to her, but it was her love for you that helped her hold it at bay. And it's her love for you that will free her from it, in time. Just be there for her, as you have been, and I think things will be fine. If you start treating her differently, being overly cautious and worried about her, it will only push her away and cause further trouble."

I took a deep breath, considering her words, and felt some of the tension I'd been unknowingly hold onto slip away. "You are right, of course. The most important thing is to help her get through this on her own terms. I just need to have faith in her ability to control this magic. I suppose I am just so worried because it is so rare for any pony, especially a non-unicorn, to wield dark magic in the first place... and the results are usually so devastating."

She watched me for a few seconds, and then smiled softly and reached across the table. I hesitated for a moment, and then slowly took her hand, feeling the warmth of it wash over mine. She looked me in the eyes and said, "You worry for your daughter's well-being. It's natural for any mother. And it is clear that this Cozy Glow is an unusual specimen, a child whose situation, interests, and abilities are different from others. Perhaps that is cause to worry, or perhaps it will turn out to be cause for celebration; it has been my experience that unusual children can, with encouragement, grow into their talents and become stunning adults. If their parents or peers shame them for their differences, however, it can make them fight to change things that are beyond their power, leading to misery."

I brushed her hand gently, watching her carefully and weighing her words, and I smiled back at her. "Perhaps I should have become an educator, as my sister did, after all."

She winked at me. "It does impart a certain wisdom and sense of accomplishment."

I considered her for a little while longer, and then I smirked. "So, you seemed quite interested when I brought up Equestrian magic... would you perhaps like to experience it for yourself?"

She smirked back at me, mirroring my expression as she leaned back. "Oh, merely for the sake of better understanding your predicament and helping you, of course."

I stood up, rolling my eyes. "Naturally; such interests are beneath you, otherwise."

She stood up and grinned at me. "Oh, let's go already!"

Checkup

View Online

The rest of the walk home was spent in companionable silence. Mom kept giving me concerned glances, but I was too exhausted – on too many levels – to really be upset at that point.

You know that numbing over like that is only temporary.

As we got back to the house, I gave a bit of an exaggerated yawn, which became entirely genuine halfway through.

“I think I’m going to get some sleep. Don’t worry about me, I just need a little time to think.”

Mom nuzzled me, seeming concerned.

“Are you absolutely sure? I can stay with you, if you wish.”

I waved a hoof at her, doing my best to seem completely at ease.

“It’s fine, Mom. I mean… it’s not really fine, but just let me work through it. I know I can come to you if I need to.”

Mom eyed me critically for a few moments, but nodded. She gave me one last pat on the head before letting me go.

“You were brave today, Cozy. Many ponies never find the courage to stand up to the ones closest to them.”

I snorted as I trotted up the stairs. “Well, that was my secret. I got closer to a lot of better ponies, so she doesn’t seem quite so important any more.”

Mom smiled, and I smiled back at her before heading up.

That’s just a very pleasant way of saying that you barely overcame your hatred for Bree with your love for your new family.

And what’s wrong with putting something pleasantly? It’s not like I want her to worry.

That doesn’t change the fact that you have all of that hatred writhing around inside of you.

Well I don’t WANT to change that. I SHOULD hate her for what she did!

Isn’t that the sort of attitude a monster would have?

Monsters lash out at innocent ponies or hate ponies for dumb reasons. Like… like how I hated Twilight for getting in my way, before. It’s not the same thing.

But the hatred you have in you already makes it easier to feel that way about other ponies.

I sighed as I entered my room, and I sat up on my bed. I wanted to get some sleep, but there was just no way I could rest with thoughts like those kicking around in my head.

I looked around the room for something to do, and my eyes set on the mug I’d brought with me when I entered this timeline.

I should probably let Sunny know how I’m doing… and I guess it couldn’t hurt to talk a bit.

But you told your mother you were fine.

I just don’t want her to worry! With everything she’s had to put up with from me lately, she deserves a break!

I huffed and picked up the mug.

I wonder if that business card even really works?

I smirked to myself and looked at the mug.

“I sure could use a drink right about now.”

I glanced up, but nothing seemed different, at first. Then I noticed Sunset’s cutie mark was emblazoned on my bedroom door.

“Oh wow, this thing is good.”

I slipped the mug under a wing and made my way into the bar out of time.

The silver bell chimed and Sunset Shimmer checked the calendar. No events planned for today, so it was a personal guest. She quickly fished a menu and slid it onto the bar across from her, as she heard the steps get closer. Quadruped, hooves, short legs… a pony? Or a centaur? she mused, then her eyes lit up when she recognized the filly coming in, holding a familiar mug under her wing.

"Oh, hey Cozy," Sunset said, smiling at the filly. It seemed like she had lost her alicorn powers after all, but that was not the only change. She was a little taller than before, and without her armor Sunset could see how muscular she was; not bulky, like a bodybuilder, but rather having the lean muscles of a fighter. "It… seems some time has passed back home."

Cozy blinked up at Sunset, frowning. “Huh? It’s just been a few weeks. I’d have come sooner, but I wanted to make sure things were really okay before I did. You seemed… kinda worried about me.” She finished with an uneasy smile and a blush, like she was overstepping.

"Sorry, it's… you look taller, and the horn is gone, so it seemed like more time might have passed. It's been a few months here since I last saw you." Sunset smiled. "I'm glad things seem to be going better? And I am… well, was worried. How did things turn out? Were you able to convince Luna to use your memories?"

Cozy took the mug in her teeth from under a wing, and fluttered up to a seat at the bar, revealing some alarming black streaks through her wings in the process. She set the mug down on the bar and smiled up at Sunset.

“It turned out they’d already done that. The other, uh, you worked with Mom and Discord to transfer memories over from the other timeline, so I wouldn’t be alone. I actually have a house near Ponyville and everything.”

Sunset felt a sense of relief wash over her. "I'm very happy to hear that. I'm fairly certain that a memory transfer would have worked, but this seems a lot more natural and less invasive." She went around the bar to kneel across from Cozy, opening her arms. "Congrats?"

Cozy pounced into Sunset’s arms, grateful for the contact. “Thanks, Sunny. Your encouragement the first time we met really made things a lot easier for me. Even with Mom and the other Sunset, things have been pretty tough lately.”

Sunset gave her young friend a warm hug, letting Cozy be the first to pull back before nodding and standing up. "Well, since you're here, how about I get you something to drink and we can talk about it if you want?"

Cozy nodded hurriedly, parking back in her seat with a quick buzz of her wings. “Sounds good to me. I could definitely use it after a day like this.” She frowned. “I really put my friends through a scare this time.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. What could she possibly do to get them scared like that? Did she conquer Yakyakistan? "Alright then, seems like quite the story. You might need something stronger than butter and rum."

Cozy waved that off with a smirk. “Sorry, I’m officially addicted now. That stuff is good. Besides, I’m not an alicorn anymore, so… probably better to keep it light.” She leaned back and frowned. “I just need a little help getting to sleep, anyway.”

"Then let's go with that for now," Sunset said, taking the mug and getting to work on the drink. "So, what's going on? I hope it's not trouble with your friends?"

Cozy considered that for a moment, then snorted. “The short version is, I ran into the mare that gave birth to me, and I managed not to stomp her into the dirt.”

Sunset blinked. "I see. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that your relationship with her is decidedly not pleasant." She poured the drink into a mug and placed it in front of Cozy. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to see her."

Cozy snickered airily. “That makes two of you, I guess. Yeah, Bree is… she’s awful. Even now, she just brings the worst out in me. I seriously lost it, trying not to go after her. I ended up causing huge problems for Mom, huge problems for you – er, the other you – and just generally screwing things up. I think I might have even hurt Discord in the process? Honestly, it’s all a little bit of a blur.”

Sunset sighed. "Look, I can only really go from what other people that have visited this place have explained to me… I never really had parents, so my experience directly with this is… well, limited. But, those people that have talked about their pasts with abusive parents have generally felt bad about their anger, as if it's something that should be just simply snuffed away with time… but it's not. And it shouldn't be so easily dismissed. What happens in your life always shapes you into who you are today, and it takes a lot of personal growth to be able to manage that anger." She reached out to squeeze Cozy's foreleg. "I'm proud of you for not tearing her to pieces."

Cozy snickered, brushing the top of Sunset’s hand with her other hoof. “Thanks. I wouldn’t say I feel bad about being angry, though. Bree deserves it. I’m not ashamed of hating her; I just don’t want to hurt my Mom or anypony else because of it. And I know that probably doesn’t sound good, but… well, it’s the truth.”

Cozy smirked up at Sunset. “And it’s not like I could hide the truth about how I feel from you, anyway, right? I found out about your spell.”

"What spell?"

Cozy leaned back and furrowed her brows in confusion. “The whole… empathy, memory-viewing, telepathy, thing. Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about! The other Sunset’s got, like, all kinds of variants of it or something, too!”

Ah, so that's what she's talking about. Sunset sighed, reaching down and pulling her geode, setting it on the bar in front of Cozy. "You mean the empathy powers, right? I don't use them… my guests come from a LOT of different places as you know. Some of them have suffered torture, or things that are so personal that a casual image of that is… not okay for them." She paused. And sometimes from what they've told me, I really don't want to see. "When I opened my bar, I cast a general spell to put people at ease, but I also made a promise to not use this without warning of what exactly it does. In my case, I see it as an invasion of privacy for those creatures that come here. Not all of them would understand, or be comfortable with me looking into their lives like that. When you come here you share what you want to share, and no more."

Cozy took that in with a contemplative expression. “I guess the other Sunset doesn’t have as good of a handle on it all, yet. She activated her powers by accident, just by using her magic near me. But… I guess I’m glad she did. It helped her help me. I just hope it didn’t hurt her.”

Cozy gestured at her head and made little swirling motions with her hoof. “I don’t think this is the nicest place, y’know?”

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much," Sunset replied, "We Sunsets are generally resilient. Especially when it comes to being there for our friends and family."

Cozy smirked again, nodding. “Yeah, so I’ve noticed. Speaking of family… I don’t really get it, but it seems like Celestia has sort-of half-adopted the other Sunset? Mom slipped and called her my cousin at one point.”

She did, huh? Celestia never spared that grace for me. She took a deep breath. But that's not my Celestia. And that's not me, it's another Sunset. Good for her. "In some worlds… it happens like that. In mine… well. It didn't, but I'm happy for your Sunset. It usually takes a monumental effort for Celestia to admit to any parental feelings." She shook her head. "That mare represses and holds back so much I'm surprised Daybreaker is not a more common occurrence."

Cozy quirked an eyebrow at that. “Daybreaker? Wait, hold on. Celestia never reconnected with you?”

"Long story short? No. Oh, we met. I went there for help and she was nice, she said she missed me, hugged me. You know. Acquaintance stuff. I wasn't at my best at the time, and she was friendly enough after my… after the last time I saw her, so I counted that as a blessing and focused on figuring out how to get my friends to remember me. My real contact is with Twilight in my home universe." She frowned. "Universes."

Cozy grit her teeth. “But how could she not…? Guh, even Celestia can be so dumb sometimes. I mean it just doesn’t make sense! Why would anypony give that up?!”

Cozy took a few more seconds to breathe, getting herself back under control. Then she looked up at Sunset contemplatively.

“I guess most ponies can’t appreciate how important a good family is, though Celestia’s lost enough that I’d think she could. But she is the one who told me that knowing what’s right doesn’t mean a pony will necessarily go through with it, I guess…”

Sunset felt herself sag a little. "Look… I won't lie and say I didn't want it… but it's been cen—a long time. At least for me. At this point it would feel a bit forced. I've met my share of Celestias that think of me as a daughter. I guess that's the best I'll get, and I can't blame someone for not adopting me when they could just because I wanted them to. Sometimes… ponies are not ready to be parents."

Cozy sighed, shaking her head. “I guess. I think that’s why there’s awkwardness for Celestia and Sunset in my world, too; Sunset’s basically an adult, been on her own for years, and all. I still can’t help but think it’s kinda dumb, but whatever. I mean, Celestia’s millennia old, right? So who cares if you’re a century or two old. But that’s coming from somepony that just got a mom, so I guess I’m biased. And… sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

Cozy fidgeted in place, seeming a bit awkward.

Instead of answering right away, Sunset served herself a soda and walked around the bar to sit next to Cozy, giving her a friendly hug. "You didn't, don't worry. It's a hard pill to swallow when you find that ponies you care for – or wish to have a different relationship with – have other priorities at the time. I try not to take it personally."

Cozy leaned into the touch and nuzzled into Sunset’s side. “Yeah… I do know what you mean. Some ponies have been avoiding me since I came back, even though we were friends in the other timeline, and it’s just… well, it’s hard, but I just try not to hold it against anypony. But even if you don’t hold it against your Celestia, I will. I don’t care how old anypony is, you can’t tell me they don’t need parents.”

Despite herself, Sunset grinned. "Well, if you ever meet her you can chew her out if you want. Thank you, Cozy."

Cozy snickered. “Well I’ll at least go easier on her than Bree did… eugh.” She shuddered slightly. “There’s a difference between trying to talk sense into somepony and just trying to hurt them as bad as possible.”

"What did she say?" Sunset asked, feeling a sense of dread descending on her.

Cozy shook her head into Sunset’s side. “I don’t really want to recount anything about her. If you want to look for yourself, fine, but… I don’t want to repeat anything that mare ever said.”

Sunset glanced at the geode, still on the bar. She let out a long breath. "If you're okay with it and it'll help me understand what you're going through, I'll go ahead... " She reached out for it, hanging it around her neck. Her senses expanded almost immediately, as if resonating with the bar itself. Everything, from the posters on the wall, to her guitars, to the pictures in the corner of the room now shone with potential. She had never touched any of them while wearing her geode—never thought endemic memories would be something she could even see, but either through her own growth or with the addition of the bar's magic, it seemed her abilities were a lot stronger than ever before. I'd better not do this often. She carefully reached out and brushed Cozy's mane with her fingers.

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, gasping, eyes wide, staring up at Cozy, who had jumped to the floor to check on her. "No! Don't touch me yet!" she almost shouted, hand flashing up to take off the geode. She staggered to her feet and placed it on the bar, away from them before sinking to her knees and pulling Cozy into a tight hug. "Oh Cozy, I'm so sorry you—I'm so sorry…"

Memories still flashed in her mind as she dealt with emotional impact of what she had witnessed and slowly comprehended what the jumble meant as they organized in her mind. She had seen it all. She took a deep breath, gulping. "I'm okay now…" she whispered. "I'm okay. I'm sorry you… that was…" she tightened her hug.

Cozy’s eyes were frantic as she held onto Sunset. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would be that bad! I shouldn’t have asked you!”

"No… it's not your fault." Sunset took a deep, calming breath, letting go and sitting back on the floor. She still shook a little bit. "It was a combination of things… I have been working in the bar for a long, long time now. And I've reached out and talked to many creatures over that time, with my bar's magical ambience active all the time. When I put on the geode again, it was… I knew immediately that I've reached a level I wasn't prepared for, but I figured doing something familiar wasn't going to be too bad." She snorted. "Go me. It was." She laughed, sighing and shaking her head. "It also didn't help that sharing your memory and experience of your Sunset using her magic as she did created a feedback loop. Basically she made the whole thing ten times more real."

Cozy chewed her lip, still obviously concerned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that would happen. I could have warned you if I did. I didn’t think having two ponies look at the same memories was bad, somehow; I mean, Luna and Sunset did it, right?”

"Slightly different thing… it was me reaching empathically to you while other me was empathically projecting herself to reach you." She slowly stood up and shook her head. "I saw what Bree said to Celestia on top of what she did to you… I have half a mind to gear up and hunt her down."

Cozy huffed, smirking. “Hey, no fair. If anypony gets to take revenge on her it should be me. I have dibs!”

"Yes, but they can't trace me." Sunset countered, smirking confidently. "Besides, I don't have to do it directly; I could just misplace her inside a locked room in Atlantis."

Cozy’s smirk faltered. “H-hey, I’ve just managed to come around to the idea of not hurting her. Don’t go making suggestions like that.”

Sunset sighed. "Fair enough. And I really can't say how proud I am of you… you are a much better pony than you give yourself credit for, Cozy."

Cozy fidgeted, opening her mouth and then shutting it, and then simply flew back up to her seat, looking at the bar. She fidgeted more in her seat, but didn’t say anything.

Sunset returned to her seat and watched Cozy carefully. "Hey," she said softly, "penny for your thoughts?"

Cozy opened her mouth and shut it again, and groaned, rubbing her head. After a few moments she blew out a huff and shook her head. “It’s just, you’re the second one to look in my head and say I’m not so bad. And I don’t… really know what to think about it all. I did terrible things, and it’s not like I just totally changed. I’ve just been trying to make good choices. And I was thinking, 'is that really all that it takes?' That’s what Trixie told me, but it’s not like I haven’t changed at all, either.”

Cozy shrugged, looking over at Sunset at a bit of a loss. “When I really think about it, a lot has changed. I don’t really think about manipulating other ponies anymore… instead, I just worry about myself doing it, rather than thinking about how to do it. When I started the hero thing, it was just… like a sort of idea. I was trying to live up to whatever I thought I was before, kind of going through the motions and being good at it, but it’s not like I emotionally got into it.”

She placed her head in her forehooves and rubbed her mane. “But it’s not really like that anymore. I don’t just think, ‘okay, what’s the heroic thing to do here?’ anymore, either. When I think Mom is going to get hurt by something, I legitimately panic. I don’t just worry about how ponies will see me anymore, I actually worry about hurting them. It’s like… the habits I had when I was trying to be heroic have become ingrained in how I think and feel, all of the time.”

Cozy slouched into leaning on the bartop, propping her head up with a hoof and playing with her mug with the other. “I guess all of those changes are good, but… they also caused a lot of bad. I wouldn’t have caused so much trouble today if I hadn’t just been so afraid, and so angry. I’ve never really been good at holding my feelings back.”

"Hm." Sunset tapped her fingers on the bar. "You have good reason to feel conflicted. Anger and pain is a driving force for all of us, just as worry and love are. You're judging yourself as a villain, when you're not anymore… you've changed, and you've internalized that change because you got a unique chance to also be the best you could possibly be under the circumstances. You did your time, you faced yourself, and now who you are doesn't match who you were."

She shook her head and gave Cozy a sheepish smile. "I don't know anyone that would simply ignore those changes and carry on without a care in the world. Being self-aware enough of your own failings is fine as long as you are self-aware enough of your successes. And you have plenty."

Cozy opened her mouth and closed it again, and then snickered to herself softly. She closed her eyes. “I know it’s dumb, but I kinda hate it when ponies – er, people – say nice things about me. I don’t want to say it’s not true, because then they’ll want to insist. I don’t want to agree with them, because then I’ll either seem arrogant or… well, I’ll be lying, because I don’t actually agree with them.” Cozy blew a raspberry. “I guess I need to learn to take a compliment. It’s not really fair to somepony else if they can’t speak their minds because I’ve got dumb issues.”

"If it helps, I also went through a period like that," Sunset offered, "and I'm sure your local Sunset Shimmer did too. It might surprise you, but it is really hard to accept compliments when you know, or at least think you don't deserve them. It's not just you, Cozy… it's a natural thing for someone who is really changing."

Cozy smiled up at Sunset, taking a deep breath. “Thanks, Sunny. It does help a bit. I guess it’s silly for me to think that this sort of thing is unique to me; I’m just used to being, y’know… different. I do hope someday I look back on all of this and wonder how I could have been so silly.”

Cozy leaned back in her seat, cocking her head. “In a weird way, maybe it’s good I ran into Bree again. It was awful, but at least I feel like I can move past it now. As upset as I was, as much as I still hate her… she’s just not that important to my future. I don’t ever have to think about her again, and I don’t think I would have realized that otherwise.”

Cozy huffed and shook her head. “I’d have always felt like I was still running away from her.”

Sunset nodded. "That would have probably left some lingering issues… still, I really wish you hadn't gone through that… or at least so unexpectedly. I guess you would have never planned to face her directly if you could avoid it, but that was one nasty surprise."

Cozy nodded, taking in a deep breath. “Yeah, but the real pain was all from before. It was already there, y’know? Just waiting to come out. And I guess that’s something; she can’t really hurt me any more. And seeing her helped me realize that. Though…”

Her face darkened considerably. “She had better stay away from the others. Really, I might take you up on your offer to help get rid of her if she doesn’t.”

Sunset laughed. "I'll always be around. But now that the others have seen her true nature, I think they'll be keeping an eye out for your siblings as well."

Cozy brightened at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t have to take care of it all myself. It’s kind of easy to forget that.” She snickered. “I used to have portals and alarms set up all around Equestria, so I could handle disasters wherever they came up. Handling stuff on my own was kind of my thing, at least until the other Sunset came along.”

Sunset grinned, puffing out her chest proudly. "We Sunsets are something, I tell ya."

Cozy smirked. “You don’t have to tell me that. Makes me feel like we should look for a human counterpart to Sunset, complete the set. Golly, any new villains that showed up would be in for one heck of a ride then!”

"Didn't you plan to make an army of Sunsets before?" Sunset asked, snorting. "I don't think the multiverse—much less a single world—is ready for that."

Cozy blanched. “T-that was just a silly thought I had! It’s…” she huffed, puffing out her cheeks. “You’re making fun of me now.”

Sunset chuckled, smiling warmly at her. "Honestly, I'm flattered you think that way about us Sunsets."

Cozy glared at Sunset for a few more seconds, and then blew a little raspberry at her. “Like I have a choice. You just get a pass for being both nice and competent.”

She grumbled a bit more, but slowly came around to a smirk.

“I wish I’d met somepony like you before… well, before I screwed up so badly. That might have turned out differently. Though… I guess the way things turned out aren’t so bad as it is.”

"You met us now, and we're your friends, right?" Sunset pointed out. "Sometimes we have to roll with that, but for what it's worth, I wish I had met you sooner too. It's never too early to meet a good friend."

Cozy smiled, and then laughed. “We should find a world where we met up before either of us did any bad stuff, and see how that turned out. Though, knowing me at least, we might have just been even better at being villains!”

Sunset shook her head, "Probably safer not to find out. Knowing us, we would somehow outsmart our good selves and take over the multiverse." She grinned. "At least I'd be in good company."

Cozy snickered. “No way. I was…” she paused to consider her phrasing, and shrugged. “I was a dumb villain. I’m sure I’d make all of our schemes backfire somehow.” She snickered. “Like a pair of comic-book villains or something. Causing trouble every week, never amounting to anything, even when nopony bothers to stop us. I’ve already seen how a future where I ‘succeeded’ just blew up in my face. My life has definitely driven home one lesson: villains always lose in the end, one way or another.”

"Maybe our villainy would inadvertently cause good stuff to happen to others," Sunset suggested. "You know, overplotting how to rob the bank ends up saving the ponies in the bakery next door and suddenly we have no choice but to be heroes because others decided it was cool we did that kind of thing."

Cozy laughed. “Inertia and peer-pressure, huh? That sounds about right. Though, hmm…” She tapped a hoof to her chin, and her eyes lit up. “Actually, something like that happened both times I caused trouble. The first time, the students at Twilight’s school discovered the power of the Elements of Harmony. That ended up saving the day, later… and when I came back with Chrysalis and Tirek, it was the trouble we caused that united all of the different nations to stop us.” She coughed into a hoof. “And the, um, windigos we’d accidentally set loose.”

"Did you know there's a dimension where we're all windigos and legend has it that ponies would come to destroy us with friendship?"

Cozy stared at Sunset flatly. “You’re making fun of me again, aren’t you?”

Sunset's smile didn't waver. "If you say so. But I guess that doesn't matter…"

Cozy’s eyes slowly cross as she said, “But wait, how would that even work? They just have absolutely no love or friendship at all? How do they even have a society…? How can they even pass down legends in the first place?”

She snorted and shook her head. “No way. I don’t buy it. It sounds too crazy.”

"Welcome to the multiverse!" Sunset said with a laugh. "Where you're as likely to encounter a wasp-version of yourself as you are to meet a god. My point with all of that is that it's too big a multiple-reality to hold on to your past when you're trying to be a better pony. I'm just going about it in a really roundabout way. In the end, that plan – which I heard wasn't just yours, by the by – didn't work and brought ponies together again. Maybe they even needed that reminder again if it was that easy to convince them to distrust each other." Sunset shrugged. "Who you are now is someone who can look back on that and realize that, ultimately, it was a bad choice. And what do we do when that happens? We make up for it. Or we try and try."

Cozy nodded, fiddling with her mug a little more. “Applejack said something that got me thinking about that. At some point, it’s important to just let go of mistakes, stop getting punished or punishing yourself for them. I don’t think it’s exactly what she meant at the time, but… there’s really no point in looking back all the time. The future’s all we’ve got to build on. I mean, unless somepony decides to muck around with time travel again, but that’s like, the top class of automatic backfiring plans.” She snickered.

"Learn from the past," Sunset nodded. "I'm sure we've both heard that one often enough."

Cozy snickered again. “Or pasts in your case. Hey, in mine, too!”

Sunset made a fist and bumped it against Cozy's hoof. "One more thing in common."

Cozy sighed and leaned against the bar, smiling. “Thanks for… all of this. I didn’t want to unload my feelings on Mom; I’m pretty sure she’s got enough to freak out about as it is. Somepony said I was throwing around dark magic during the whole… thing today, and I’m sure that’s got her worried, too…”

"Yeah, a little earlier I was thinking about Luna," Sunset said, standing up to walk behind the bar and kneeling behind it. "So I thought to myself she might also need a drink." She shifted through the sub-space container until she found the small bottle she was looking for and smirked, standing up and placing it in front of Cozy.

It was crystal clear, except for Luna's cutie mark on it. The liquid inside glistened like moonlight. "Maybe you should give this to her when you get back. It's a special brew… distilled moonshine. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Cozy took the container in her hooves and tilted it to and fro, watching the shimmering liquid roll around. “Whoa. Magic drink.” She snickered. “The other Sunset had me play a game where you give magic drinks to people to make them happy, but I didn’t know it was a real thing.” She looked up at Sunset with a raised eyebrow as she set the bottle down. “You know she’s going to ask where this came from, right?”

Sunset shrugged. "She's your mom. She has a right to know who your friends are. And I don't see why you should hide it." She winked at Cozy.

Cozy fluttered her wings a bit as she leaned on the bar. “Oh filly, this is going to be a tough one to explain.”

Sunset made her best imitation of Cozy's voice. "Mom? I got this for you from my bartender friend from another dimension." Her voice wasn't quite the match, so she returned to her normal tone. "I don't see how that would be a problem." She tried to keep a straight face.

Cozy made a flat expression at Sunset. “You forgot to mention she’s a human, a sort of furless bipedal ape-thing, and her bar exists outside of time, and I can enter it with my magic business card whenever I want.” She huffed. “If we didn’t know Discord, I don’t think she’d ever buy it. I’ll just blame it all on him.” She smirked. “He’d probably prefer it that way anyway!”

"You have a Sunset Shimmer of your own, right? She probably knows what humans are by now." Sunset smirked. "Besides, you can always tell her that superheroes always get the cool friends."

Cozy snorted. “Yeah, that’ll fly.” She silently played with her mug for a little while, considering something, and she slowly smiled.

“Y’know… I’m glad to have a mom to explain myself to in the first place. And an aunt, a cousin… an extra-dimensional bartender cousin, too.” She scoffed and shook her head. “I didn’t have any family a year ago. I didn’t have any real friends… just ponies I was planning to use in some way.”

Cozy stifled a yawn with her hoof, settling back down into her chair. She smiled sleepily up at Sunset. “I complain too much. Look at how lucky I am! Even after everything I did, everypony really came together for me.” She sniffled slightly and looked back down at the bar.

Sunset reached over and ruffled her mane. "I'm sure I speak for the others when I say that we're also lucky. At least I know for sure I speak for other me." She stretched. "But—”

Cozy hiccuped, and covered her mouth. She leaned back away from Sunset and turned aside, her sniffling getting louder.

Uh… what did you do, Sunset?! Okay. Okay, nothing bad was said… "Uh… Cozy?"

Cozy sniffled and wiped her eyes, still averting her face. “Sorry, sorry, I don’t—it’s stupid, sorry. I’m okay.”

"Hey," Sunset said gently, moving around the bar to place a hand on Cozy's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Let it out."

Cozy squirmed, wiping her eyes and scoffing at herself. “I don’t—I-I’m not sad, I don’t understand why I’m doing this, I’m sorry.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes in frustration, and laughed slightly. “It’s so dumb! Why am I crying? I’m h-happy!” She threw her hooves up in frustration and looked up at Sunset.

Oh gods. Sunset felt her own eyes tear up a little. "Cozy… you can cry when you're happy too, you know?"

Cozy fidgeted in place, sniffling. “Ugh, but… why? Stupid…” She sniffled again and grumbled, and then laughed again, trying to wipe her eyes. “I was j-just thinking, about you and Mom and a-all, and I thought about how I never have to go back.” She laughed and rolled her eyes as she wiped her face again. “It’s over. All of the stuff with Bree, worrying about them f-finding out where I came from at the school and sending me back, all of that’s over. And I’m glad it’s over!” She threw her hooves up and giggled nervously. “I don’t have to hide or r-run or anything! I have a future and it’s not terrible! And I just started crying like a foal! What the heck!” She groaned and rubbed her eyes again, harder than necessary, as if to force her tear ducts into submission.

Sunset sniffed, grinning like an idiot. "Come on, you're making me cry too." She reached and held Cozy to her chest, sinking her face into the filly's mane. "I'm so happy for you. You're free, Cozy."

Cozy laughed at that – a ringing, high sound, completely unlike her normal laughter. She sniffed and buried her head into Sunset and muttered back. “I really am.”

Sunset allowed herself to laugh as well, it felt like she was suddenly relaxing all of her muscles. The filly in her embrace exuded happiness and relief, and it was contagious. Slowly, Cozy's sniffling faded away, and Sunset felt the filly take a deep breath, followed by regular breathing. "Cozy?" she whispered, looking down at her friend, who was cuddled up to her with a smile on her face, completely asleep.

She must have been exhausted! It's been one hell of a day for her. She carefully slid off of her seat and, with the aid of some magic, levitated Cozy into her arms just to keep her stable; she then carried the young pony towards the door. She mentally ordered it to open silently, ensuring the silver bell would not chime, then stepped out of the bar and into Cozy's room.

Walking up to the bed, she laid the pegasus on it, making sure her wings were in a good position, and noticing with interest that the black lines from earlier were fading away into black crystalline veins of some sort that reflected the light with a rainbow glint. "Huh."

She shook her head, and summoned Cozy's mug and Luna's Distilled Moonlight, placing them on the bed stand. After a second thought, she also summoned a notepad and took a page decorated with her bar's cutie mark to write a simple note, leaving it next to the other items.

Making sure Cozy was comfortable, she gently traced her finger on the crystal on her wings, frowning. To her surprise, it was warm, and glowed a faint red in response to her touch. In a way, I guess it makes sense… she thought. I hope she doesn't freak out too much about it.

One look at the peaceful face of her friend seemed to push the concern away. "Good night Cozy. Sleep well… and you know where to find me," she whispered.

She made her way back to the bar and, with one last glance at the room (and a proud smile), closed the door behind her.

Wake Up

View Online

I woke up that morning to find a note next to my bed simply saying 'Come back soon'.

I smiled, feeling the sense of warmth spreading over me.

I definitely will, Sunny.

Remember to bring the mug back. Oh, and I forgot to pay for my drink!

I snickered.

Handle it next time.

I nodded to myself and hopped out of bed, feeling thoroughly refreshed and ready to go. I glanced at my calender.

A weekend, huh? The Cutie Mark Crusaders might be free. I should try tracking them down.

I should bring them something. Maybe... cookies?

I grinned. Everypony loves cookies. Except Rainbow Dash; she hates super-sugary food.

I started bounding my way downstairs, realizing halfway down that I was pronking, and then deciding I didn't much care. I found Mom passed out on the couch again – seriously, Mom? You have a perfectly good bed, you goofball! – and, after leaving the concentrated moonlight next to her, bounced my way into the kitchen, setting up for baking, just like we'd been taught in school.

The hardest part was balancing the cupcake pan on the tip of my nose and twirling it, but I pulled it off without making too much of a racket. Pinkie swore up and down it made cookies and cupcakes come out better, and she was the expert, so I did it.

Soon enough, cookies were baking, and I took the break to snack on the batter.

Not a great breakfast. You'll get fat!

But I'll work off a ton of energy with the Cutie Mark Crusaders today. I think it'll be fine.

I ultimately fixed myself a salad to go with it, making sure to throw in some nuts for energy; I planned to do some heavy training later, and I knew from experience that combat training on an empty stomach was the worst.

I glanced at the cabinets and winced. I see the kitchen still hasn't recovered from the legendary grudge match of Luna vs Microwave. Maybe I should pick up a new one? I have the bits for it...

I shrugged and bounded upstairs, retrieving my bits. By the time I'd done all of that, the cookies were done, and I set off towards town with a sense of purpose and warmth.

It took me a bit to realize another pony was pronking alongside me.

"Oh! Morning, Pinkie!"

Pinkie giggled. "It is morning! Having a good one, Cozy?"

I smiled and nodded. She took an exaggerated sniff at the height of a bounce. "Ooo, do I smell the marshmallow-and-peanutbutter surprise cookies I taught you in class?"

"Yep! I'm taking them to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but I made plenty extra if you want one!"

Pinkie's tongue flicked out like a frog's and snatched a cookie off of the pan on my back, which was... pretty much what I expected, if I'm honest. She chomped down for a few seconds, and then moaned in approval.

"Chocolate and cherry? Cozy, that's just evil. A forbidden combination of flavors, put into my sweet, innocent surprise cookies!"

I made an exaggerated, bug-eyed 'evil' frown at her, though I couldn't totally suppress my smirk. "Well I'm an evil filly, Pinkie Pie! I'll make all of the foals in Ponyville fat with my cookies. It's part of my eEeEevil plans."

Pinkie giggled at that. "Now that's a villain I can get behind!"

I cackled madly. "The first phase of my plan is complete! First, I bribe you with these delicious cookies!"

Pinkie leaned in, eyes wide, even as we continued bouncing. "Really?! What's step two?!"

I leaned in until I bumped into her muzzle, getting a giggle from her, and stared straight into her eyes, looking dead serious.

"Then... I start charging for them! Muahahahaa!"

"Nooooooo! I can't live without such deliciousness! You cruel filly, you'd enslave us all!"

I snorted and tried to look as imperious as a bouncing, giddy filly could. "The only thing that could stop me is if a virtuous baker were to rise up and challenge my baking prowess! But where will such a pony emerge from?!"

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, to the point her face stretched. "Ooooookay little filly, I see what you're angling for, here. I'll go make you some extra sweets, but you'd better remember," she leaned in close and opened one eye wide, to the point that it seemed to poke out and point at me, "you owe me."

She giggled and bounded away, and I just kept with my heading. Things were quiet for a few seconds, before she suddenly bounded up from behind me, startling me to the point I almost dropped my cookies.

"Gah! Whoa, when did you—!"

"I realized I forgot to tell you! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are over at Rarity's today! So check there! Bye~!"

And with that Pinkie Pie peeled off again.

Don't forget to thank her! Being startled is no reason to be rude!

I waved a hoof at her retreating form. "Thanks for the tip!"

"Any ti~me!"

The rest of the trip to Rarity's passed uneventfully, though I did eventually stop bouncing (my hooves were getting sore; I clearly needed to do more jump-based training routines), and I knocked at the door expectantly.

Sweetie Belle swung the door open, and her face lit up as she saw me (or maybe the sweets). I missed that look from ponies.

"Hey, Cozy! We just got done helping somepony; did you need something?"

I smiled slyly, leaning in. "Oh, I was just looking for some company to help me eat through all these cookies. I baked way too many, and a fighter like me needs to keep fit."

Sweetie Belle looked confused. "Wait, how did you bake too many?"

I stood, frozen on the spot, sly look slowly becoming forced.

Okay, look, anypony can be a little dense sometimes. Just be polite!

I took a deep breath as I reclaimed my balance. "I made them to share with you guys, plus anypony else who wanted some. So... feel like hanging out?"

Sweetie's eyes lit up, but then she frowned slightly. "Cozy, you didn't have to do that."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "I know that. I just felt like it today! Anyway, I'll just drop them off if all of you are busy."

Remembering her manners, Sweetie took a few steps back and opened the door wider. "Oh, no! I mean, come in! We're free to hang out!"

Still a little awkward around me, huh? Well, no fur off my scruff.

I skipped into the room with a self-satisfied grin, sidestepped up to the table, and flipped the tray off of my back with a wing – eliciting a gasp from Sweetie Belle – and catching it in the other wing, casually juggling it back and forth a bit, before smacking it and letting it slide off of a wing and onto the table while making a yawning gesture.

Aww yeah, my old wing tricks from my Dashing Savior days still work with the new models! Hah!

I drew myself up tall, wings flared, and quirked an eyebrow at Sweetie Belle with a smirk. I expected applause, but she just gawped at me.

Oh well, good enough!

I turned to start setting out the cookies, but Sweetie's voice jarred me from it. "Cozy, your wings—! What happened to your wings?!"

I flinched, and held a wing out for inspection.

Wait, what the hay?

I examined the black veins growing through my wings with some alarm.

I saw marks like these yesterday, but I thought they were all gone!

I felt a panic rising in me, but I fought it down.

Gotta keep it cool... Mom would have told me if it was a serious problem. Or Sunset would have! It must be under control.

I huffed a breath and folded my wings. "Nothing to worry about."

Sweetie walked up, grimacing. "That looks really painful, though. Are you sure it's okay?"

I nodded, forcing a smile back on my face. "It doesn't hurt a bit, actually!" I gave my wings a demonstrative flap, and now I noticed where the crystals were by touch; they really didn't hurt, but they did feel a little weird.

"See? Totally fine."

Sweetie considered that for a second. "Well, if you say so. But I can grab you a dress or something, so you don't freak everypony—"

"NO!"

I'm done covering up whatever harm that mare brings me!

Take it down a notch! You're scaring Sweetie!

I realized I was breathing deeply, and Sweetie's expression had just blanked out in shock while she stared at me. I leaned back, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through my nose, closing my eyes in the process. I opened them again and tried to smile reassuringly at her, with some success.

"I'm sorry about that, Sweetie. I really don't like covering stuff like that up. It's fine if other ponies stare. I didn't mean to yell at you, though."

Sweetie slowly recovered, squinting at me in obvious concern. "Okay... why don't you like dresses, anyway?"

I cleared my throat. "Long story! Don't worry about it. Let's just get to hanging out, yeah?"

Sweetie shook her head. "But—"

Scootaloo cleared her throat very loudly from the side of the room, causing us both to whip around to see her. She strode out with an annoyed little frown, followed closely by Applebloom.

"Sweetie, she obviously doesn't wanna talk about it."

I winced slightly. "How long were you two over there, anyway?"

Scootaloo trotted up to me and set a hoof on my shoulder. "We caught the whole thing, we just didn't want to be rude. That was a cool trick you did, by the way."

Finally! Somepony appreciates skill when they see it!

Maybe express my gratitude without sounding like a braggart?

I smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. I used to do that as a combat exercise. Wing training for dexterity."

Scootaloo's eyes lit up. "Cooooool! You can show me, right?"

I nodded hurriedly, thankful for the subject change. "Oh, yeah, definitely! You want me to show you now?"

Scootaloo opened her mouth to respond, but we were both distracted by the sound of a chomp, and looked over to see Applebloom holding up half of a cookie, watching us. We started for a moment, and she just raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Sweetie huffed. "Applebloom! She hadn't handed those out yet!"

I laughed softly, throwing my head back a little. "It's no problem. That's what they're there for!"

The four of us proceeded to lay waste to those cookies, and spent the rest of the day engaging in shenanigans, tomfoolery, mischief, and just generally getting up to no good. One thought kept coming back to me over the course of the day, and it always brought a bemused smile to my face.

I can't believe I ever traded this away.

Powerlust part 3

View Online

Rainbow Dash advanced on me with several quick jabs, and I did my best to swat them aside with my lead hand as I danced back. I hopped sideways, trying to throw off her straight-line momentum, but she caught my arm and I felt the pressure she was exerting.

My combat instincts screamed at me to get free before a takedown could occur. I leapt backwards, rotating my body to pull my arm – and her with it – back towards me, and I tucked in my legs so I would land lower than I started. Rainbow lurched forward from the sudden change in momentum.

"W-whoa!"

I popped her across the face on sheer instinct, feeding her a left hook of soft glove, and then tucked in even further, breaking her hold on me and rolling onto my back, ready to buck her with both legs. She landed on my feet, and I gently shoved her off of me.

Dash staggered back, a look of surprise and amusement on her face. "Dang, Cozy! I've never seen anyone get out of that takedown once I had the arm!"

I grinned and bounced up to my feet, feeling a surge of pride and energy run over me. "Well, having some real fighting experience helps. Even though my body is way different, I still remember the feeling, y'know? The mindset. And when someone is bearing down on you like that, the key is to be more vicious and aggressive, to surprise them and interrupt their plan with violence-of-action before you can get encircled!"

Sunset paused in her practice on the punching bag to lean against it and laugh. "Cozy, are you quoting The Art of War?"

I huffed at her. "Paraphrasing! And it's a good book!"

Rainbow Dash facepalmed and laughed. "Wow, I did not know an abstract book like that could result in you being so tough in the ring! I'm going to have to give it a look. And I have to admit, when I heard you had real combat experience, I was kinda nervous to spar with you rather than just training – I figured you would have trouble pulling your hits, but you actually did really well. My jaw doesn't even hurt."

I folded my arms and smirked. "Well, a good fighter needs control most of all, and a hero can't just go around knocking ponies' heads off their shoulders. I had a lot more strength than I needed to deal with most monsters, so restraint was always really important!"

Dash leaned down on her thighs and shook her head with a wild grin. "Kid, I can't believe you. You look young, but you sound like any old-school fighter I've ever heard."

I shrugged, stretching out and resuming my stance. "I'm a veteran. Take it to the bank. Besides, I'm not that much shorter than you!"

Dash snickered. "I noticed, trust me. I actually thought you were older than you are when Sunset first introduced us."

I grinned and stretched out a fist. "Less yapping, more fighting!"

She scoffed and tapped her fist against mine. We both carefully moved to circle, taking the measure of each other for a moment.

She's quick on her feet, but she blocks with her legs when I kick at her midsection. So...

I jumped towards her with a kick, causing her eyes to shoot wide and her arms and knee to combine into a solid block. I swept my leg under this barrier, flopping forward onto my hands and resuming an equine stance as I snapped my head around and aimed a quick heel kick at ankle she still had on the ground.

Rainbow went over with a yelp, but she rolled backwards into a handspring. I was on her before she had even gotten her head up, but she still swatted aside my hits, and started backpedaling and parrying as I pressed the attack.

Whoa, how'd she do that? Wait, she can predict my punches just from watching my hips? That's some crazy combat sense!

I realized I wouldn't be able to break through her defenses, and considered withdrawing, but then I realized she was only defending so I would slow down. Her eyes were watching my forearms and wrists carefully.

You want my arm, Dash? Here you go!

I threw a slow backhand, and she grabbed it as I predicted. I snapped my whole body backwards like I was trying to throw a heavy object backward over my head, causing her to stagger forward, and I let her land on my elbow. There was an audible 'POP!' and she staggered off.

"Owww! Dang!" She rubbed her jaw and smirked up at me, shaking her head. "We need to get you some elbow padding, that stung pretty bad even with you staying still. You're on fire today, jeez! I really thought I had you after I got out of that sweep!"

I grinned, my breathing heavy from excitement rather than fatigue. She wasn't wrong; it really felt like a fire was on inside of me!

"I guess I'm just really excited to get back to fighting! I forgot how much I enjoyed all of this!"

Sunset strode over, an eyebrow quirked as she grinned. "Reminds you of better times?"

I laughed. "No, it's just fun! What could be better than this?"

Her brows shot up in surprise, and her smile broadened. "You're sure in high spirits, lately."

I shrugged. "No reason not to be! Hey, I'm whooping up on the school's karate champion, I should feel awesome!"

Rainbow belted out a laugh. "True enough, but you wouldn't stand a chance if I used my geode!"

I squared off my stance, a competitive blaze overtaking me. "Yeah? Bring it!"

I'll probably get whooped, but there's no telling until I see it!

Rainbow's brows shot up in surprise, but she headed over to the bench and grabbed her geode anyway. "Alright, if you say so. I'll try to take it easy on you, but I really don't think you'll find a way to beat that kind of speed."

We squared off, tapped gloves, and began circling.

I barely saw a blur and felt an impact before I was on the ground. I concentrated, and realized she had run past me and simply shoved me over.

Dash leaned over to look at me with a frown. "You okay? I figured this was a bad idea, but—"

I lifted a hand, grin spreading further. "Let's go again."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Okay...?"

We tapped gloves, and this time I sprang backwards, getting some distance. She blurred in at me, but I predicted that and almost caught her with a clothesline. She slid under it, but I was already spinning to match her new direction, predicting that, too.

And now, based on how she moves, she'll—!

I went down into a crouching guard, letting my body drop as fast as possible, and jutted legs out. Like I'd thought, Rainbow went for a shoulder-tackle, and her ankles slammed into my legs, sending her flying over me. I whipped around and saw her catch herself in a running handstand, and took off after her.

Good grief, a trip that bad and she still didn't go down?!

I could hardly believe it, but she outran me on her hands and flipped back onto her feet. I had launched into a jumpkick, trying to close the distance as fast as possible, but I was back on the mat before I could even see how she had countered me. She pinned me there, holding my leg up, and we were both panting.

Rainbow shook her head with a befuddled grin on her face. "Whoa. You really have fought supervillains, huh? That was—"

I felt a strange mix of frustration and excitement explode in me. "Again! Let's go again! I'll get you this time!"

Dash just laughed and hauled me to my feet. "If you say so! You're on!"

Get ahead of her! She's going to be more cautious this time, trying to avoid leg traps and sweeps, and she's going to avoid big linear motions, so what's that mean?! Think! Think, Quillon, think!

I blinked as I realized how I'd addressed myself, but bit it down. That wasn't important right now.

Focus! There's a pattern to her movements with her hands and her legs! Every time she attacks with her hands, she braces in profile and strikes from the ground, while she tends to parry on the move. That's why her mobile attacks are so predictable and vulnerable! They're untrained!

I breathed heavily as we returned to the center of the mat, mind racing.

That means she's going to try to use her footspeed to get close, and then try to attack quickly from a stationary position. If I could strike that stationary position as she's coming to a stop, she'll be mid-transition between defense and offense; she'll be open! But I'm not fast enough!

I grit my teeth as we tapped gloves and started circling. I tossed a quick jab at Dash, and she leapt back reflexively and swatted it aside.

And here she comes on my right...

As predicted, Dash sped around on my right with her unnatural speed. I threw a kick where I knew she would stop, but she saw it coming and barely managed to avoid it, weaving around it and using my extended leg to drag me to the floor. She smirked at me.

"Sorry, kid, but I don't think you can overcome that speed gap."

I slammed a fist into the mat. "Let's keep going!"

She recoiled slightly. "Are you sure you're okay to—"

I took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm okay, I'm just fired up! I want to keep trying until I get it!"

She grinned and nodded. "Okay, as long as it's all in good fun!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but snapped it shut.

This isn't just all in good fun for me. I need to be stronger, or the next big fight I get in could be my last.

I need be careful not to hurt Dash's feelings, though. She's trying to help me, here, and we both want to have fun.

I nodded and took another deep breath, which just seemed to fan the furnace inside of me. "I might get a little overzealous, but I'm having a great time. No hard feelings, right?"

I extended a hand, and Dash gripped my forearm, surprising me. I returned the grip, and she nodded. "Right, no hard feelings. I'll be really impressed if you find a way to beat me at this speed."

There's got to be a way. If I was just a little faster...

We tapped gloves, and started circling again. I'd already read her movement patterns, so I just focused everything I had on the fight.

And then she attacked, I struggled to fend her off, and I went down.

And I got back up. And I went down again, and I got back up, over and over again.

After a half-dozen times, both of us were panting hard. Rainbow smiled, sweat visible on her face. "Okay, I think I can go one more round, but after that, I'm going to need to take a break. You really force me to go all-out!"

I grit my teeth. One more try.

We tapped gloves, and I felt a surge of anger, competition, and determination run through me. I need to be just a little faster! Just a little!

I willed my aching legs to put out more speed, to just keep up with this crazy girl for a second. I adjusted my stance, imagining the exact way she would attack, visualizing it.

Sunset's voice called out in surprise. "Uh, girls?"

Dash came in at me, and I felt almost like time had slowed down. A sense of deja vu came over me as her blurring form matched my mental image perfectly, and I relaxed my body, waiting for the exact moment she came into range.

Then I beat her to the punch, just barely slipping past her fist to sink a shot on her face. It was a light hit, and she just took a surprised step back, but I knew her hips would be locked for the tiniest fraction of a second, and I feinted a second punch.

With her superspeed, her overreaction was exaggerated; she threw both hands to cover the second hit, also going for a counter attack, but I had dropped my head under that position, going for a shot at her gut. It was a perfectly-executed attack, but her insane speed made it pointless; my fist hit her raised knee, and I saw I was now wide open to a counter.

Damnit! Faster! FASTER!

My mind snapped back to the Flying Hydra Punch, the combat magic I had studied to get stronger, faster. I tried to concentrate my magic, but without a horn, it felt more like my whole body was going haywire instead.

I had already imagined her counterpunch. I saw it coming, and I twisted my body away from it, my hands too low to guard with. Instead, I swatted her fist aside with my wing – far faster than my hands, in any case – and jumped up, letting my wing spring wide open directly into her face. Rainbow staggered back and fell to her rump, and I just jumped and fistpumped into the air.

"Hah! Yes! I got you! Just once, I got you!"

Rainbow stared at me in bafflement. "Uhh... Cozy? When did you get wings?"

I cocked my head. "Uh, I'm a pega... uhhh..."

I looked over at the wing I had hit her in the face with. It took me a second to fully comprehend that I shouldn't have that, and I laid my ears back and smiled sheepishly.

"Umm, they're new? Eheheh, sorry...?"

Sunset walked up to me, her eyes wide with excitement. "Cozy, you ponied up! I didn't even know you could do that!"

She looked my wings over with excitement, and I twitched my tail in irritation. Then I realized I had a tail and whipped my head around to look at it.

"Whoa, what the heck? What is all of this? Why do I have a tail, wings, and..." I felt my ears. They were definitely pony ears. "And these?"

Sunset laid a hand on my shoulder, and the contact quelled my rising concerns immediately. "It's okay! All of us have done it, I just didn't expect it here and now! Whenever one of us uses our special talents or we get really excited from stuff like putting on a rock show with our friends, we, well," she gestured at my wings, "we take on our pony forms! I'm really happy for you!"

I let the shock wash out of me, twitching my wings. "It is pretty cool. So, does this happen to all humans, or...?"

Rainbow walked up with a grin and chuckled. "Not even close! It's just our group of friends – y'know, because all of us have so much exposure to Equestrian magic."

"Huh..." I took that in as I examined the black crystal seam in my wing. There was a cascade of subdued rainbow colors shimmering through it whenever the light hit it. "Well, I guess I do have an awful lot of magic to tap into..."

Sunset caught my eye and smiled. "Cozy? I don't think you have anything to worry about, okay?"

I took a second to think that over, and I smiled back at her. "Got it. So, should we go another round now that I have my wings, or...?"

Rainbow held up a hand and huffed. "Jeez, Cozy, you just don't quit! Look, we need to hit the showers and get you home before it gets too late, and I need a rest anyway. We can give it another shot some other day, okay?"

I nodded, and we headed to the lockers to get our clothes and head to the showers. Sunset caught my attention shortly just as I was closing my locker up.

"So, Cozy, I saw you land that hit on Dash just before you ponied up. Like I said, it's usually our special talents that bring the transformation out, so... I guess I was curious what was going through your head?"

I stopped and thought back, cupping my chin. "I guess I was trying to predict her? Like, as pinpoint and precise as possible, imagining the exact way she'd move and strategizing to beat her speed."

Sunset seemed pretty impressed by that, leaning back and folding her arms. "Wow. I guess you really are a strategist at heart, even in a fistfight."

I grinned. "Don't you forget it. This timeline might not have seen what Quillon can do, but I'll show you guys eventually."

The rest of our time in the gym and the trip back home went uneventfully, until I got home. I opened the door to find Mom standing on top of the couch, swaying unevenly and trying to play a violin, poorly. I gawped.

"Uhh... Mom?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when another Mom walked in from the kitchen, with a distinctly unamused expression. "Cozy."

I looked at her, looked back at the other-Mom, and then back. I instinctively drew myself into a fighting stance. "O-okay, whichever one of you is a changeling, I'm just going to give you one warning! I'm—"

Mom cut me off with a wave of her hoof and an eyeroll. "No, sweetie, neither of us is a changeling. This," she gestured at the drunken mare on the couch, who waved at us cheerily, "is Vice-Principal Luna, my counterpart from the human world."

I took a second to process that. "Oooh, she was the one on the couch this morning!"

Mom nodded, fixing me with a stern glare. "Indeed she was. The very same couch that had a mysterious bottle of moonshine next to it. In addition, I found another capped mug of buttered rum in your room."

I facehoofed. "Oh, no! I meant to put that in the freezer!"

She scoffed in consternation. "I took care of that, but I demand you tell me where this alcohol has come from this instant!"

I started. "Oh, right! I was asleep when Sunny brought me back, so I never got a chance to tell you about that. Sorry, it completely slipped my mind."

Mom just stared at me like I'd grown an extra head. For a moment I wondered if I had ponied up again, or something. "Sweetie. You do realize that you should not be going out and purchasing alcohol, unsupervised, correct? And who is this 'Sunny' – do you mean to say your cousin has been supplying you with alcohol from the human world?!"

I groaned. "No, no, it's way more complicated than that. Look, you know how I came over from another timeline? The reason I dropped out of the timelines Discord could track on the way was that I ended up in a sort of... pocket-dimension bar-thingy, run by another version of Sunset Shimmer. She helped me keep it together when I thought I was losing everything by coming back."

Mom just stared at me for a few moments, and then sighed and rubbed her head. "That is far too absurd a story to be a lie, isn't it?"

I buzzed my wings irritably. "Hey, look, I just decided to blame it all on Discord. And besides, you said I could have two buttered rums on special occasions! I didn't break the rules!"

Mom looked confused, but then her eyes shot open in realization. "Ah, yes, the other me did say that to you, didn't she...? But it is still unacceptable for you to run off to this bar whenever you—"

She paused, looking at me, and then she sighed and trotted up to me. My body seized up reflexively, expecting some kind of punishment, but she just sat down next to me and pressed in close. "I believe I understand what occurred, now. You went to speak to this 'Sunny' because you were upset last night, didn't you?"

I pressed back into her, my body shaking from the wave of relief I felt at having avoided a fight. "Y-yeah, I thought it would be better than freaking you out even more. And she really helped! Both Sunsets are... really great friends."

Mom smiled at me, while the other Luna belted out an off-tune song and tried to get the violin to cooperate.

"I am glad you have such supportive ponies in your life, Cozy." I decided not to correct her on the species as she continued, "It does ease my concerns to know you have others you can turn to when I am unavailable. You do understand why I was so worried when I saw you had alcohol lying about the house, right?"

I scoffed, smirking at her. "Duh. Little fillies shouldn't go around drinking randomly; that's not that complicated. You don't need to worry, I'm fully aware of how risky alcohol can be for someone my age, and I'm not going to go getting addicted or something. It's not like I wanted to drink without supervision, or whatever; Sunny's a responsible adult, and I didn't even go there to drink anyway, really. I didn't even have any."

Mom wrapped a wing over me and drew me in close, and I reveled in the warmth coming from under the cover. She snickered.

"You are a very independent child, Cozy. It can be difficult for me to know where to draw the line or put my hoof down with you, but I am here to support you. I do appreciate the trust you showed in me by revealing the existence of this other friend of yours."

I giggled nervously. "W-well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder how you'd take it, but Sunny felt it was important for me to tell you, too. The moonshine was her idea."

Mom glared at the carousing mare on the couch, who had now taken to making little lights dance out of her horn and giggling at them. "I doubt this was what she intended for it."

I snickered. "Yeah, probably not."

Mom looked at me. "So where were you today? I was growing quite worried when you did not arrive before the sun set."

I started. "Oh, sorry! I did write you a note, didn't you get it? I left it in the kitchen!"

Mom stared at me flatly, and then turned her gaze to the mare on the couch, her voice rising in volume considerably.

"Luna, what did you do with the note in the kitchen?!"

The other Luna whipped around in surprise, and spent several seconds staring at Mom in confusion before she looked down at the table.

Where there was a glass of glowing moonshine.

On a familiar piece of paper.

Mom and I groaned and facehoofed simultaneously.

Shipping Out

View Online

"What do you mean, I cannot accompany her?!"

Luna's voice was loud enough to echo around the castle, and it made my fur stand on end. I took a deep breath and held up a hoof.

Stay calm, Starlight. Just like dealing with any angry parent, be firm, but be understanding.

"It's good that you're worried for your daughter, Princess, but if you go with her it will just make things worse. Please believe me, the map chooses the right ponies for the job, and having others interfere may cause them to fail their quest altogether. When I went to resolve the problem in Canterlot, Twilight's interjections almost made me lose the confidence I needed to help you and Celestia!"

Luna was clearly ready to lay into me, and I laid my ears back in anticipation, but Cozy interrupted her by pressing a hoof to her barrel. She looked down to see Cozy staring up at her in concern.

"Mom, please calm down. I promise I'll be really careful, okay? And Applejack will be with me! She won't let anything happen!"

Luna hesitated, looking between Cozy and me. I resisted the urge to interject, knowing that this was between them. Luna seemed to be about to relent, but then Cozy spoke up again.

"If you really don't want me to go, I won't, okay? Just say the word and I'll stay right here. I don't want to make you worry about me."

Whoa. That's new. Is she really that worried about how Luna feels?

Luna sighed, and nuzzled her daughter. "I appreciate the thought, but I cannot ask you to ignore this call, regardless of my feelings." She looked up at Applejack. "You do promise to keep my daughter safe, don't you?"

Applejack took off her hat and held it over her barrel, nodding. "I'll do whatever I can to see she comes home, sure enough. I doubt the map would send us into anything we can't handle, anyhow."

Luna nodded, and gently disengaged from Cozy. She fixed her eyes back on me. "And you are quite certain that accompanying her would only multiply her troubles?"

I seized up slightly at the sudden, intense attention, and nodded uncomfortably. "That seems to be how it works. Twilight made it pretty clear after the incident in Canterlot that we should avoid interfering with friendship quests from now on."

Luna blew a breath out their her lips in annoyance. "Well, I shan't question her dictates, especially in regards to her demesne of specialty. I suppose there's nothing for it, then." She looked back down to Cozy. "Do take care, sweetie."

Finally! I was worried I'd have to get Twilight involved to resolve this.

Cozy smiled, though she still looked concerned. "I'll be fine, but, are you sure you're okay with it?"

Luna nodded, tossing her mane back. "I do have confidence in your abilities, Cozy. I'm certain you will resolve the matter in question admirably. I simply wish to be close at hoof in case... well, in case you need me. But it seems that is not an option."

Cozy flew up and gave Luna a hug, seeming to take her completely by surprise. "Thanks, Mom. I know you're here for me."

Wait, I don't think I've ever seen Cozy initiate physical contact like that before. That's a good sign, right?

My counseling training suggested it should be, but I couldn't entirely stomp out the suspicion of her being manipulative. Then again, it sure seemed sincere.

Luna gently wrapped a hoof around Cozy, and smiled. Applejack and I traded a look, and I took a deep breath and cleared my throat to cut through some of the awkwardness.

"Okay! Let's go get some train tickets!"

I glanced at the filly sharing the car with me. She'd propped her head up with her hoof, elbow on the windowsill, while we were still in the station, and hadn't moved from that position since. The scenery flew by, but she barely seemed to register it.

Really, the only reaction I'd been able to see were those creepy black crystals running through her wings seeming to grow a little more dull as we pulled out from the station.

Could've been a trick of the light, I guessed, but those things worried me either way.

I slid over in my seat, until I was seated directly across from her, and screwed up the nerve to try talking to her.

"Cozy? Everythin' alright?"

Cozy didn't even react for a couple of seconds, to the point I wondered if I was getting the silent treatment. She didn't even make eye contact when she spoke to me.

"I'm just a little worried about Mom, is all."

I felt an eyebrow creep up at that. "She ain't the one on a quest, though. You're worried 'cuz she's worried about you?"

Cozy sighed and leaned away from the window. I wasn't sure if I was irritating her just by speaking to her; it was almost impossible to get a read on that filly.

"No, it's not that. Just, last night, we had a talk, and she said she wasn't sure where to put her hoof down with me."

I snorted. "Can't exactly blame'r on that account."

I immediately regretted saying that, but Cozy just nodded, surprising me. "Yeah, I know." She leaned back and threw her hooves up. "I know! That's the whole thing, I've been independent and disobedient and downright evil, and... now everypony's being so nice to me, and they're scared I'll snap and cause even more trouble."

She sighed and rested her hooves in front of her, kneading the seat slightly as she continued. "And I did snap. I did cause more trouble. You and everypony else had to show up just to make sure I didn't hurt anypony. So of course she's walking on eggshells around me; like you said, can't really blame her, right?"

I winced, scrambling to fix whatever this was. "Whoa, nelly. I didn't know this was botherin' you so much." I frowned. "Though, guess I shouldn't be surprised. Still it's not like you don't wanna be independent, right? I mean..." I tried to pick my words carefully, rubbing my fetlocks together slightly, "it's not like you want her to be puttin' her hoof down and tellin' you what to do, right?"

Cozy looked up at me plaintively, and my sense of panic grew worse when I realized there were tears in her eyes. "I don't want her to be scared to! I'm not just going to fly off the handle and run away or hurt her or something just because she's trying to parent me! I-I mean I don't think I've been perfect since I got back, but I've tried to do whatever she asked a-and be quiet during the day, and... she should only have to act that way around me if I'm a bad filly, a-and I'm not... right?"

I clamped down on my panic and set my jaw. "Bad fillies don't worry about bein' bad in the first place. I ain't been around you two much, but it's pretty dang clear you care about each other, so I'd say you don't need to be worryin' about that so much. Y'know she loves you, right?"

Cozy flinched slightly, taking me by surprise again. I just couldn't seem to get a handle on this conversation. "Of course! I love her too! That's why I'm worried in the first place..."

She seemed to be lost for words and glanced back out of the window. I suspected it was as much because she wanted to clamp down on her feelings as anything else, but I welcomed the chance to get my thoughts together. I was halfway to a response when she spoke up again.

"How can I be a good daughter?"

I took a deep breath. "That's a tough one, alright... every family's different, so I can't just tell you what I've been doin' and hope it applies just the same. The fact you're askin' is definitely a good sign, though."

Cozy looked down at her seat and shook her head. "It doesn't feel like enough."

I chewed my lip. "Y'know, friendship an' family's not about grand gestures or anythin' like that. It's just about bein' there for the ones you love."

"But I'm not doing that if she's afraid to even reprimand me."

For a second, I was tempted to go over there and comfort the filly, but I didn't. What she needed was help working this out in her head, not just a reassuring presence. I shook my head.

"Well, what were you doin' just before we left, then? I saw you tryin' to put her mind at ease; that's exactly what family is all about. You think about what someone else needs, you get to it. It's just those two parts; consider their feelings, then act on that."

Cozy looked up at me, eyes wide and vulnerable. It really threw me for a loop to see her like that. "Is that really all there is to it?"

I nodded firmly. "Pretty much. And you're a strategist, right? That's what I've heard your special talent is."

She nodded slowly, and I shrugged as I went on. "Then there's nothin' to worry about. Just strategize around makin' her happy. I mean, don't go behind her back or nothin' funny like that, but just, put thought into it. I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time."

Cozy took a deep breath and looked back out her window. "I'll do that... Thanks, Applejack."

I tipped my hat. "Anytime."

Silence returned to our traincar, and it gave me a chance to really get my thoughts in order.

Anypony could see she was different as soon as she came back, but I couldn't've guessed she'd be this different. I guess Discord wasn't exaggerating when he said she lived a totally different life during those moons she was gone. I could never have pictured Cozy Glow, the cackling, explosive-tempered evil filly that tried to wipe out all magic would be sitting here fretting over how to be a better daughter.

I settled back in my seat and watched some of the scenery go by.

Then again, who would've thought Starlight 'wipe out the cutie marks' Glimmer would become a school counselor, helping kids understand their special talents and places in the world? Or that Discord would try, in his own weird way, to help Twilight become a better ruler of Equestria? Life has a funny way of workin' out.

My thoughts went back to the filly's explosive outburst at Bree.

Still got one mighty temper on her, and she's not afraid to push back when somepony goes after her. So why was she afraid of us? Even now, she seems nervous about even speaking to me. I chewed it over, and then hit on a pattern. She's not afraid of ponies attacking her, she's afraid of them telling her she's bad. She's afraid of them being right.

I eyed Cozy contemplatively. She'd taken to swaying her legs back and forth under the seat as she watched the scenery, with a far-away look and pursed lips that spoke of serious worries.

"Y'know," I said, stretching out, "the map wouldn't've called you if you weren't a good filly." She glanced at me in surprise, and I tipped my hat up and met her eyes as I went on. "Willin' an' able to help others. I'd heard you worked as a hero before, and the map callin' you confirms it, in my eyes. It makes sense."

Cozy nodded, leaning back a bit and settling in. "Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that. I've been trying to get back to heroics since I returned, but I haven't really had much luck so far."

I vaguely recalled Starlight saying something to that effect, and nodded. "Right, I'd heard. What's that all about, anyway?"

Cozy fidgeted. "Well, in the other world, I was happy. So, at first, I was just trying to get back to that. But I'm not really unhappy, anymore... it's just that, I don't really feel like I'm going anywhere without it. It's what I want to do."

I nodded, leaning back and lowering the rim of my hat slightly to block some of the light streaming through the window so I could focus on her better. "That makes sense, I s'pose. You had a purpose, and you want to get back to it."

She looked back out the window, contemplating for a short while. "I think, maybe, the kind of hero I was over there isn't the same as what I want to be, anymore. I was always the first one to any fight I could find, but, well... while I did some good, there was a lot of time where I was just training, and for all the good I did, I'm pretty sure any really serious problems would have been handled even without me. To a degree I guess I was just showing off."

She looked distinctly uncomfortable, frowning and fidgeting, and I just huffed at her. "Filly, if you ran into the fray and protected innocent ponies, puttin' yourself at risk, that's not just showin' off."

Cozy fidgeted. "I'm not saying I didn't do any good, or that I wouldn't like to keep doing that. I guess I've just got different priorities."

I supposed there was no point in trying to guess, with this filly. "Such as?"

Cozy grimaced. "I don't know, just... like I said, Equestria already has heroes. And I really believe that nothing will ever manage to just, I don't know, wipe us all out or topple Equestria or whatever. Not as long as our friendships stay strong, anyway. I think the Battle of the Bell proved that beyond a doubt."

I shuffled in place slightly, uncomfortable with where this was going. "So... you don't think you need to be a hero, because we've got it covered?"

Cozy shook her head vehemently, which set my mind a bit more at ease. "No, that's not it! I mean, even though villains always lose, sometimes they cause a lot of damage, first! I caused a lot of damage! I want to be there to protect ponies, I just feel like..." she chewed her lip and shuddered slightly, and I worried she might be getting upset. She took a deep breath and sighed, though, getting herself under control. "I don't think I was making enough of a difference. I can't be satisfied just running around and fighting whenever a monster shows up."

I wasn't sure if I would regret asking, but I did anyway. "You were satisfied before, though, weren't you? What's changed?"

"I did!" She startled me as she suddenly turned to face me again, visibly upset. "Before, I was just trying to be a good 'super hero'. It was, like, a job, or a hobby, or something! It was a thing I did I felt good about and that I defined myself by. But I don't care about that stuff anymore – or, no, what I mean is I don't care about it the same way. I don't want to be a hero, I just... want to make a difference."

She took a deep breath and pressed her forelegs together. "I want to feel – I want to know I'm making Equestria better."

I took a stiff breath. "Look, I can't claim to totally get what's botherin' ya, but that sounds heroic to me."

I was expecting another objection, but Cozy just nodded. "Yeah, I know. But before, I would have cared about it because it was heroic. And so, as a hero, that was my job. Now, I don't care whether it's heroic or not, I just care about it. Does that... make sense?"

I nodded, feeling more confident I had a handle on this at last. "Sure."

She looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yep. I do understand that part. When I was little – before I got my cutie mark – I did chores because it was what Granny asked me to do. I didn't much care for the farm; matter of fact, I actually tried to leave it behind. It was only when I stepped away from it that I started to understand why we did the chores, why Granny cared about the farm... and realized that I did, too. Nowadays, I'm as likely to be the one givin' chores out as bein' asked. I reckon you're goin' through somethin' similar."

Cozy looked down at her hooves in thought. "It does sound a lot like what happened to me, doesn't it?"

I nodded, folding my forelegs. "Does to me, at least. Though it sounds like you're maybe reconsiderin' how the farm is run, in your case; gonna make some changes when you get back to your place in the world."

She looked up and nodded. "But I don't even know what changes to make, yet."

I shrugged. "Then what you need to do next is pretty clear, filly."

She cocked her head. "Really? What?"

I smiled at her. "Find out what sorta hero you wanna be after all."

She contemplated that, and smiled back at me. "Thanks again, Applejack."

"Like I said; anytime."

Brush Regularly

View Online

As we disembarked from the train, I turned to Applejack and gave a grin.

"Y'know, the last time the map called me somewhere, I had to deal with Grogar."

Applejack started. "This ain't your first time?"

I shrugged as we walked, adjusting the position of my saddlebags. "First time since coming back, but I did get a call in the other timeline."

Applejack frowned. "Awful strange for it to call ya just to fight a badguy, though. That ain't normally how it works."

"Well, he was orchestrating tensions between ponies, causing a rift in Ponyville. I guess we skipped solving the symptom in favor of the disease."

Applejack nodded thoughtfully as we started the walk from the station to the Peaks of Peril. "Maybe... there's still a lot we don't know about the map. Still, here's hoping it's not expecting the two of us to take on a big villain. I didn't really pack for that!"

I giggled. "I did! I have all sorts of weapons and potions in here." I ruffled my saddlebag meaningfully with a wing, and Applejack shot me a disturbed look.

"And your mom is okay with that?"

"Huh?" I was taken aback. "She's the one who insisted I take so much. She helped me pack!"

Applejack snorted, shaking her head in bemusement. "Not to criticize, but it seems awful strange to trust a filly with weapons and fightin' like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, and you were so prepared for Nightmare Moon when you and your friends took her on, huh?"

Applejack's expression twisted up into an amused grin after a second of consideration. "Well, not exactly..."

"You'd studied combat magic and how to counter dark magic at least, right? Before going up against the most dangerous dark mage in Equestrian history?"

Applejack rolled her eyes and snorted. "Okay, okay, I see what you're gettin' at. Thought the worst was Sombra, though."

I tapped my chin. "Does the Crystal Empire count as Equestria? Well, whatever, you get what I meant. Nightmare Moon was a serious threat, and you all went after the Elements of Harmony without any gear, training, or preparation aside from a day's worth of getting to know each other, from what I've read in that journal of Twilight's. That strikes me as crazy and irresponsible."

Applejack shot me a faux-offended flat look, and I put on a faux innocent-and-sweet expression in turn. "But, y'know, that's just my opinion as an innocent little filly."

Applejack barked out a laugh at that, facehoofing, and I snickered in turn as we passed into a small wooded area dense with undergrowth. Once her laughter started to subside she wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head at me.

"Whoo-ee, never thought I'd see the day we could have a good laugh over your 'good little filly' act from back in the day."

I smiled warmly, ruffling my wings slightly. "Me neither. But it feels good to have gotten past all of that."

She nodded, grin in place as she took the lead. "No kiddin'."

I let out a contented sigh as we lapsed into a pleasant silence.

This is nice. And I got called by the map again! That means there's a problem I'm uniquely suited to solve, even though I don't have my crazy magic anymore!

I'll have to be careful not to cause even more problems while I'm here, though.

I cleared my throat, deciding to end the silence and get away from my thoughts. "You came here and helped Autumn Blaze and the kirin before, right?"

Applejack nodded as I pulled in beside her. "Heh, yup. That was one crazy quest. She writes sometimes, so as far as I know things here are still good, though it sounded like some of the kirin were having more trouble adjustin' than others."

I frowned, thinking that over. "Not sure how I can help with that. I'm probably the last pony they should ask about sparing ponies' feelings." I snickered as a thought occurred to me. "Or maybe Starlight. That mare is blunt."

Applejack suppressed a loud laugh and snickered. "With a comment like that, seems like you're almost competin' with her."

I snorted in amusement. "Still true, though!"

"I ain't denyin' it."

We shared smirks. It seemed like things would get quiet again for a moment, but Applejack glanced back at me after shoving over a large boulder hiding a furrow in the cliff-face. "Y'know, you sell yourself a bit short, there, Cozy. Anypony can see clearly how hard you're tryin' to be nice."

I considered that as we slipped through the shortcut. Once we were on the other side, I gave her a shrug. "Trying, yeah. But still, I'd think the map would just call Fluttershy again if somekirin is just having trouble being nice."

Applejack looked thoughtful as we completed the walk to the village, guided by the sounds of discussion and laughter. "Guess you got a point there. And would you listen t'that? Those kirin have really turned things around, by the sounds of it!"

I nodded vigorously, smiling broadly. "You two had a huge impact, here! It seems like you really made a difference!"

Someday I'll do something, like this.

As we passed into the village, it came clear just how starkly it had changed from what I'd read about in the journal. Kirin smiled and laughed, foals were at play, and laughter could be heard coming from a stage on the side of the village. Applejack headed straight that way, and I followed, keeping alert for signs of trouble.

The map sent us here for a reason. Somewhere in this village, somepony has reason to be upset. I've got to find them.

It's probably nothing too bad, though, right? Things here seem pretty joyous.

Well, bad feelings have a way of spreading from pony to pony, so it's probably something recent...

Still, there was nary a downcast face in sight as we made our way to the audience in front of the stage. The kirin mare on-stage winked to Applejack, and Applejack just gave a short wave back. I almost asked what was going on, but decided not to interrupt the show. The kirin began striding back and forth across the stage, levitating a microphone with her as she went.

"So have any of you ever wondered what the deal is with our eyebrows? Huh? No?"

The audience members looked at each other in confusion, though there was a palpable sense of anticipation of the joke. The mare went on.

"Okay, so, bear with me. We all know what our nirik forms look like right? Our mane catches on fire and stuff, and we turn black and grey, right? But look how disproportionate those eyebrows are!"

She suddenly disappeared in a flash of fire, replaced by a black pony with a flaming mane, tail, and... eyebrows. My jaw dropped.

I thought kirin had to be furious to turn into nirik!

She is right about those eyebrows though, don't be rude and miss out on the joke!

In a flash, she was back to normal. Some kirin started chuckling in the audience, and she nodded to the audience. "Riiiight? How weird is that? Are our eyebrows super magical? I have a theory."

She straightened up and smirked. "I think our hair is secretly where all of our anger goes, and the angriest hair on our bodies is our eyebrows. I mean, you can't look angry with your mane, but you can do this!"

She glared fiercely at the audience, holding the facial expression perfectly. It was so overblown as to be comical. Still holding the face, she spoke out of the side of her mouth into the microphone. "See? It's all in the eyebrows!" She gave them a little waggle. More laughter went out from the crowd, and she released the expression and took a deep breath.

"So yeah, our hair is where all of our anger is stored. I mean, how dangerous would a bald nirik be, huh? Think about it! No mane, no tail, no eyebrows, no fire! I mean, maybe a little from the horn or something, but basically it'd be fine. Huh, maybe we should have all shaved instead of going into the stream of silence." She contemplated that for a moment, comically tapping her chin in an exaggerated fashion. "Nahhh, nobody likes regulation haircuts." That got more snickers and she smirked again.

"So, how does our anger get there? Well, I think it's pretty obvious. It seeps into our hair while we sleep, yeah? You relax, let that tension out, and it all just goes straight into your mane. That's why it's all tangled in the morning! Our manes are trying to get back at us, trying to spite us, but what can they do aside from fight our hairbrushes, huh? And maybe burn a house down, I mean."

That got more laughter from the crowd, some of it uncomfortable, but mostly well-tempered. I tapped my own chin in thought.

This isn't just a comedy routine, is it...?

"I think we need to get our manes to relax a bit more. I mean, all of that pent-up tension, all of that stress, that can't be good for them. No wonder they so tangled up by all of it! So, what I propose is—" she suddenly pulled a bottle of something over in her telekinesis "—we all buy this new mane relaxer! My new sponsor! Not." She hucked the bottle with a snicker, and the crowd was a mix of groans and laughs at that.

She pointed a hoof at one groaning kirin and nodded with a smile. "Right? I hate that whole product-placement thing. But, y'know, gotta pay the bills, I know how it is. But seriously, how can we all let our manes down a little more? What are we gonna do, open a massage parlor just for our manes?"

She tapped her chin and slowly pulled over a notepad and quill, and mumbled to herself (though clearly audible through the microphone), 'new... moneymaking... idea...' and then quickly put the tools away to more snickers. "But, erm, potential capitalist ventures aside, it's a serious question. Our manes have all of this pent-up anger! Well, I think it's important to take good care of them. Anything gets mad when it's ignored too long, right? I know I do! Nothing gets me frustrated like an empty venue. Good thing all of you are here, or we might have to replace the stage! Again!"

That got some more knowing laughs. I didn't know what she was referring to, but I was lost in thought at that point anyway, considering her words. She laughed a little sheepishly.

"Yeah, maybe that wasn't my best idea for a skit. But anyway! Look at what happens if you leave your mane untended for too long, yeah? It gets all gnarly and tangled, and then brushing it out can be really painful. You've gotta make sure to get at it often, keep it smoothed out. Gotta work out those snags as soon as they start, or else they just get a lot worse later, right? And I hear what you're saying; 'but Autumn Blaze, how can I find time to brush my mane while writing for the opera house, doing stand-up comedy, and still make time for my neighbors, write to my pony friends, and also tend to my bonsai collection'?!"

She looked around the snickering audience. "Oh, wait, is that just me? Well, never mind. Still, it can be hard to make the time, right? Everyone's got stuff going on, all the time, and sometimes you just really don't feel like brushing it, even if you've got the time. It's a hassle! If you don't tend the mane, though, all that extra anger is gonna get to your eyebrows. And that's no good, you'll end up looking like this all the time."

She arched her eyebrows in a comically-angry fashion, even using her magic to force them down unnaturally far until there was a flat V pattern on her eyes. It looked incredibly silly, because the rest of her face was still relaxed, and got some snickers on its own. "Can you imagine trying to live like this? You make up in the morning and go out to get the mail, and it's like,

'Oh, hey, Fern!'

and then your neighbor is just, 'Whoa, what did I do to you?'.

'What do you mean?'

But then they storm off and you're all confused, so you go to the market, but everyone starts avoiding you.

I mean, more than usual. Wait, that's a me thing again, isn't it? Never mind.

And as everyone gives you the cold shoulder, you start being rude back to them, until you just give up.

So, pretty soon, you just storm back home, wondering why everyone is being so mean to you, and then you look in the mirror.

Which you hadn't done that morning, because you didn't feel like brushing your mane, right?

And then you're like, 'Oh, jeez, I'm a dummy! I had no idea I looked like this all day today!'

Well, smoothing out your mane at that point might not be too much trouble, but smoothing things over with your neighbors, that's another story!"

There was some laughter from the audience, not the least because she kept rapidly swapping voices and positions to act out her little scene, and several ponies were nodding to her story. Autumn strode back to the center of the stage and released her 'angry eyebrows', taking a deep breath.

"So, even if it's troublesome, you'd better keep your mane tended to. That's the big takeaway here. Did I mention I'm selling brushes now?" She snickered, as did some of the audience. "Just got some from Manehattan a couple of weeks ago. Really made me think, y'know? Brushes from Manehattan. Those ponies, they really know how to keep their manes straight. That's their secret! They say it's friendship, it's actually just really good mane-tenance."

That got laughs and groans in equal measure from everyone present, except me.

"But I guess it's the same thing at the end of the day, right? Who doesn't want to be friends with somepony flaunting a fabulous mane? That must be how that works." She gave a wink. "And they must know it, or else why name a city that way? So yeah. Really made me think. My writing process was something like, 'how can I get more kirin to buy these brushes?' and the earth-shaking revelations just came one after the other from there."

Amidst the snickers, one pony yelled, 'Capitalist shill!', and Autumn laughed in response.

"Yeah, well, the jokes have to come from someplace! But, I'm afraid that's all I've got for you today. You've been a great audience! I'll see you next week!"

Some stomps of applause went up, and after a few moments the crowd began to disperse. Autumn leapt down from the stage and trotted happily up to Applejack, who tipped her hat in greeting and beamed at the kirin.

"Heya, Autumn! Good t'see you again! Your routine was, uh, it was pretty funny, though I don't think I completely get kirin humor."

Autumn opened her mouth to speak, but did a double-take when she saw me, her eyes widening. "Oh, hey, are you alright?"

I recoiled slightly. Huh? "Uh, yeah, I'm fine, I—"

I realized I'd teared up slightly, and wiped my face hurriedly, putting on a reassuring smile as I went on.

"Sorry, sorry, your little routine just got me thinking, is all."

Applejack quirked an eyebrow at me. "Her talkin' about 'angry hair' got you worked up?"

I rolled my eyes, immediately regretting it as I did so, and suppressed the urge to be sarcastic. "I don't think it was really about manes, Applejack."

Autumn laughed, giving me a gentle nudge with her hoof. "Yeah, it really wasn't. But that's sort of the thing; ever since the village got their voices back, they've looked to me for advice on how to manage their anger. It's a big responsibility! I know my routine may have been a little lame, but it's not easy coming up with new metaphors for anger management every week!"

Applejack flopped down on her rump and facehoofed. "You mean that whole routine was just about managin' your feelings? I was frettin' over our friendship quest so bad I half spaced out durin' the whole thing. Sorry, Autumn."

Autumn gave Applejack a playful swat with her tail. "Hey, no hard feelings! When it comes to something like this job, you just get up there and speak, and you hope someone listens, y'know? Everyone's got their own stuff going on, so not everyone is ready for the message. That's show business."

I cleared my throat, trying to politely get her attention. Once she looked back, I raised a hoof as I spoke. "I really liked the ending part about friendship and ponies. I, uh, I know what it's like to not be able to keep friends because your mane's a mess."

Applejack's eyes widened in realization as Autumn just beamed at me. The kirin smiled and gave my mane a ruffle. She spoke softly. "Well, I haven't gotten a good look, but it sure looks fine from here. What's your name?"

I smiled back. "Cozy Glow."

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at Applejack, but her smile never faded. "Oh yeah? I think I've heard about your mane problems, actually! Must have gone through a few brushes working that out."

I laughed, somehow much more at ease with the metaphor than speaking plainly. "Oh, you have no idea. Good thing I had friends to lend me theirs when mine broke."

Autumn snickered. "Hey, watch out, I'm gonna start thinking you want to take over my job." She straightened up. "Hey, what do you two say to lunch? My treat!"

I nodded hurriedly, followed by Applejack. She grinned. "Been too long as it is, Autumn. I reckon our best bet for findin' the friendship problem here is by talkin' to you anyhow, so lead the way."

As we set off for the village center, I took a deep breath and considered all of the tangles I still needed to smooth over.

Full Circle

View Online

Lunch was going pretty well, with quips and small talk going back and forth, but we didn't seem to be making any headway. According to Autumn, everyone in the village was managing their anger really well; there hadn't been a serious nirik incident in a few moons, and even little problems and flare-ups were almost nonexistent now.

It seemed like all was well in the village, which just made me even more alert to trouble.

It's the hidden threat that is the most dangerous, so I need to keep alert to signs of trouble others might miss.

But what could I notice that would fly under the clouds for everyone else?

I tuned out the discussion between Autumn and Applejack – something about Applejack introducing Autumn to a popular singer – and began watching the villagers carefully. A lot of scenarios played through my mind as I studied them.

An uncomfortable laugh here, a polite decline concealing distaste there, a few faked smiles; it wasn't hard at all for me to pick out the subtle dishonesty around me, but I kept coming around to the same underlying motive.

It seems like they're being overly polite. Maybe they're trying to keep from making each other angry? Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders were better at hiding their intentions when they tried to trick me...

Then again, I guess these kirin haven't had to deal with emotions in a long time.

They don't seem too troubled, but this kind of repressive attitude could result in someone hiding their pain, too. There might be someone really hurting here, but too nice to say anything!

Then I've got to find them. Hmm... hidden pain...

I watched for somekirin that might be troubled, and trying not to show it; somekirin with a lot on their mind. I saw one stallion that seemed lost in thought, but he seemed to be legitimately considering some sort of problem; when another kirin spoke with him, he perked up and seemed to be discussing whatever was on his mind.

I kept that up for quite a while as the other two bantered, and I was on the verge of giving up when I spotted a kirin colt with a deep green coat and brown mane that kept my attention. I wasn't sure what drew my attention to him, but there was a little alarm-bell ringing in my mind as I watched him trot up to the market and buy some groceries.

His parents aren't with him, but that's not too strange in itself. He's smiling, energetic...

Then it dawned on me.

He's overly energetic; I know what a super-happy pony (or kirin) looks like (thanks, Professor Pie), and this isn't it. I'd expect somepony (or kirin) on a boring errand at his age to be daydreaming, not acting like this. I bet he's hiding something.

I slid from my chair, prompting Applejack to turn from her discussion to me. "Cozy? You goin' somewhere?"

I nodded. "I just want to check in on something. I'll let you know if I figure anything out about the quest. You can keep chatting with Autumn."

Applejack frowned for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, filly. I'll let you know if Autumn and I figure out what the problem might be."

I nodded back to her, and set off to follow the colt, more than a little nervous.

How am I even going to do this? It's going to be so awkward! What do I do, just ask him 'what's wrong?'

He might be in trouble! I've got no choice but to suck it up and go for it.

What if I offend him?

Well that'd be bad, but it would be worse to leave him if he's hurting.

I set my jaw and trailed the colt back to his home. I waited a few moments after he'd shut the door to trot up and knock.

Here goes nothing.

The colt cautiously opened the door, eyeing me with clear confusion and skittishness. "Erm, hello...? Who are you?"

Hopefully he doesn't have a no-strangers policy.

But he'd be safer if he did, right? That would be a good thing!

Most ponies are really kind, but you never know...

I tried my best to smile reassuringly. "I'm Cozy Glow. I'm a pony, in case you haven't seen one before."

He cocked his head. "I saw two in town before, but you look different." He shied away slightly, and I made sure to lean back slightly so as to loom over him less. "Is there something you needed...?"

I glanced in at his house meaningfully. "Are your parents home...?"

He shook his head. "Mom's out..."

Does he not have a father, then?

Not like I had much of one.

I took a deep breath. "I saw you in the market, earlier, and you just seemed a little sad. I wanted to see if you were alright."

His look morphed from skittish to one of slight panic and surprise. "Sad? What made you think that?"

I took note of how incorrect his reaction was; if he hadn't been sad, I'd expect polite confusion (or skittish confusion), but this was definitely somepony (somekirin) caught in a deception. I softened my smile.

"Listen, um... what's your name?"

"Pine Flash..."

I held a hoof up slowly to shake his, reducing my posture to be more on level with his. "Heya, Pine. Nice to meet you."

He hesitantly shook my hoof, and seemed to relax slightly from the peaceful contact. I nodded to him in acknowledgement and settled on the ground. "I dunno, something just seemed sad. It's okay if you are, y'know. I won't tell anykirin (Yes! Got it!), I just want to help. Maybe talking will help?"

He glanced around nervously. "O-okay... uh, do you wanna come in? You're lying in the dirt..."

I nodded and smiled gratefully, dusted myself off, and followed him in. The house was relatively small, but well-furnished and comfortable. I glared at it for a second for being cozy.

Musclin' in on my name, house?

I giggled at my dumb joke as I shut the door and followed him to a small coffee table with cushions for seating. He sat down, and I laid down on a cushion to try to get my height level with his again. "Thanks, Pine. So, what's bothering you?"

He hesitated, averting his eyes. "W-well, I don't really know you..."

I thought quickly, and pulled on my own talk with Applejack. "Exactly! Sometimes, it's hard to talk with a pony you know about a problem, but easier to talk to a stranger. I won't judge or anything, and I won't even be here tomorrow – nopony, er, nobody needs to know what you tell me. Honestly, just here to help."

Pine's lip quivered, and he glanced around uneasily, to see if anyone was listening in. "You really think it will help?"

I nodded slowly. "I promise to do my best. And really, what will it hurt? You've got nothing to lose, right?"

He took a deep breath, considering it, and slowly blew it out. "I guess not. I just, uhh... I don't want you to be angry at Mom, or anything, okay?"

I could feel the alarm bells going off, now, and a spike of panic with them, but I didn't let any of it show on my face. I just held my position for a moment. How would Sunny handle this?. "Got it. You just talk and I'll try not to judge, like I said."

He nodded hesitantly. "Okay... well, my mom hasn't been home much, lately. I was really hoping, if I was really well-behaved, she'd forgive me and stay around..."

I forced myself to breathe slowly and evenly. I cocked my head, very deliberately, to seem passively curious. "Forgive you for what?"

He blushed and glanced away. "... I threw a bad tantrum and made her really upset..."

Deep breaths.

"Hey... I know it's awkward to talk about. I've thrown terrible tantrums before, and I feel really terrible about them. It's okay, I understand. I won't laugh at you or judge you."

"Well... I was—it was stupid. I got upset over a dumb thing. I just was really, I dunno, mad already? About a lot of stuff? And it kinda drove me over the edge, and I, um... I turned into a nirik..."

He looked deeply ashamed at that, curling in on himself, but I just nodded politely. "That's not something you can easily control, right? So don't be embarrassed. It happens. Everyone makes mistakes."

He cringed. "Not like that! I got really upset and I broke stuff! It was like I couldn't even tell what I was doing..."

For a second, my mind went back to similar outbursts of my own, and I strained to reel it back on track. "I know what you mean. Really, I do. Like I said, I'm not proud of it. So what happened? What did your mom do?"

Pine froze up, chewing his lip, and then stammered before choking out a reply. "S-she just got really upset... and she left..."

I saw he was on the verge of tears, and I mentally cursed that I'd never get the story out of him now.

No! Focus! He's hurting! Do something!

Like what?! What can I do about that?! I can't say anything to just magically make him feel better!

Well what calms you down?!

I started with realization and I got up, trotting over to him just as he was starting to break down crying. I was really hesitant, and expected him to tell me to go away at any time, but to my shock he reached out for me. I very awkwardly reached out in turn, and slowly lowered myself into hugging him. I could feel myself shaking.

This is so totally weird and awkward! Am I doing this right?! What do I say to make him feel better?!

Well I should definitely not say 'there there it'll be okay', at least.

Come up with something better, then! Quick!

Pine started crying harder, pulling in to me, and I worked my jaw silently a few times as my mind raced. Finally, I just screwed my eyes shut and pulled him in tight, trying to push the storm of emotions inside of me down into the abyss. "Listen, Pine?"

He was so upset all he could do was make a 'hm?' sound in acknowledgement. I rested my head on top of his, just like Sunny had done for me, once.

"I'm here for you, okay? I'll stay as long as you need."

I pushed away the sense of awkwardness and just relaxed, holding him softly.

I'm surprised he let me do this. He must be pretty trusting. Then again, I didn't know Sunny very well the first time she did this for me, either...

He's so small...

It took some effort to ignore how much he reminded me of Olive then. He'd also been smaller than me, and it was just like hugging him after Mom had made him cry.

I absently brushed Pine's mane on the back of his neck, and let him lean on me, marveling at how light he was.

I guess it's because I'm so much stronger than I used to be.

It took some time, holding him like that, before his sobs turned into soft cries, and then petered off.

Eventually, the only sound in the house was his occasional sniffling, though he still held on just as tight.

"Hey, Pine? Are you okay?"

He struggled to clear his throat. "Y-yeah, I'm doing better..."

He started to let me go, and I gently squeezed him. "You don't have to let go."

Why did I say that?! It's weird!

But he just hummed and leaned back in, resting against me. I slowly calmed down from my momentary panic.

I guess it was the right call... Maybe I'm good at this?

I just kept brushing his mane until his sniffling stopped, and his breathing became regular. I gently sighed, relaxing further. I might have fallen asleep like that if his voice hadn't come to me.

"Cozy?"

"Hmm? Yeah?"

I opened my eyes and took a sharp breath, making sure I was fully alert as he spoke.

"Thank you. I d-don't even really know you or anything..."

I smiled, feeling warmth fill me as my eyes started stinging. "Happy to help. I've had others catch me when I fall, too. I know what it's like to just need someone around."

And I bet they also had someone to catch them... except Sunny.

I pushed away a frown and concentrated on Pine as he started to speak again.

"It's j-just, I didn't want to worry m-my m-mom. I've been trying to be happy whenever she's around, but she's always so quiet now, and I keep thinking she'll leave and..." he sniffed again, clinging even tighter, "n-not come back."

Why would she do this to him?! She's—

Be angry later! Focus on Pine!

I brushed his mane again, very gently, and spoke softly. "How long has this been going on?"

"A c-couple weeks..."

We were silent for a while, then, as I tried to keep my mind blank so I didn't get angry. I took deep breaths. Finally, I asked what I'd been meaning to for a while.

"When you got upset... she didn't just leave, did she?"

He shuddered and squeezed me momentarily. "No..."

I gently took a deep breath. "She hit you?"

Please no...

He nodded slowly against my fur. I didn't feel anger; instead, I just felt a heavy, icy shard run down into my gut. I kept brushing him, trying to keep the stiffness out of my movements. He jerked his head up slightly, trying to look at me but unable to with my chin on his head.

"B-but! You can't be mad at her! I was freaking out, and she was just trying to snap me out of it!"

I kept my voice neutral. "What happened then?"

He sniffled again. "S-she said she was sorry. She looked like she was h-horrified of me. She just r-ran out and she's b-b-barely spoken to me since!" His voice took on a note of panic. "I don't know how to get her back! I don't want her to leave me!"

I screwed my eyes shut and grit my teeth, trying to focus all of the tension I suddenly felt into my head so it wouldn't affect my hooves. I couldn't entirely push my feelings away, now. I just kept taking deep breaths, feeling Pine's rapid heartbeat and breathing.

"Pine, I'll do what I can to help, okay? I promise."

He snuggled against me, clearly stressed. "You promise you're not gonna get mad at her or anything? Please don't drive her away! She's the best mom there is, I didn't mean to freak out!"

I could feel my jaw ache from how hard I was clenching it.

Now's not the time!

I can't believe how well she's got him wrapped around her hoof! He still thinks it's HIS fault!

... that's a lie. I CAN believe it. I remember what it's like.

I took a slow, ragged breath in, and tried for a joke. "That's not possible, Pine. My mom is the best mom ever."

He fidgeted. "Well everyone thinks that, don't they? But my mom really is!"

I nodded against his mane. "Okay, Pine, I get it. I'll do my best, okay? And, there's this nice pony that came with me here to help anykirin who needed it. I think you should talk with her, too. Her name's Applejack – you remember her from last time?"

He nodded into me again. "Uh-huh. She's the nice lady who brought Autumn back."

"Mmhmm. That's her. She's having a chat with Autumn in the marketplace right now. I think we should go talk to her."

He paused for a while. "She's going to help me get my mom back? Not get her in trouble or something?"

I brushed his mane again absently as I thought that over. "She'll try to do... whatever's best for you. You love your mom, no one wants you two apart, okay? I need to go try to see why she's staying away from you. What's her name?"

He hesitated, and I could tell he was unsure if he should cooperate any more. But he eventually relented. "... River Flash. If you see her... be nice, please? She seems so sad now."

She SHOULD be sad! Look what she's done!

I've only got one side of the story. I need to at least try to listen...

I nodded into his mane. "I'll be nice."

Eventually, we got up and I took him to Applejack, my head whirling with thoughts. One was a persistent theme, though.

Why did the map send ME for this?!

Just Breathe

View Online

I'd taken Pine back to Applejack and Autumn. With Pine's permission, I had taken Applejack aside and explained the situation to her. When I finished, she sighed heavily.

"Dang fool thing that mare did. This isn't gonna be an easy rift to fix." She looked at me with concern. "Are you gonna be okay with this one, Cozy? I know it hits awful close to home for you."

I grimaced, and sighed. "I'd like to say I'm fine, but we'd both know that's a lie. If I have to be honest, I'm furious."

Applejack winced. "Yeah, I figured as much. Can't say I'm too happy myself, 'specially hearin' about two different situations like this so close together..."

I growled, but kept my voice hushed so it wouldn't carry. "And how do you think I feel?! The whole thing with Bree is still fresh for me, and now I've gotta deal with this?" I scoffed.

Applejack nodded, and placed a hoof on my shoulder. "I know, filly. But the map chose you for a reason. You're gonna make it through, one way or the other. I believe that."

I grit my teeth, took in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and let it out, forcing myself calm. "I know. We have to take care of this, for him," I indicated Pine, "if nothing else. I'll keep it under control."

Applejack nodded, and looked over to Pine in thought. "It sure sounds like he needs all this explained to'em..."

I looked over as well. "Yeah, but I don't even know what to say to him! That's why I brought him to you. I figure if anypony can explain what to think of all of this to him, it'd be you."

Applejack chewed her lip a bit. "I mean... it ain't exactly my area, but I'll give it a shot, I guess. But what about the mom?"

I winced. "I don't know. I don't really wanna handle that, either... but I guess I promised Pine, and I guess I understand her issue a little better..."

Applejack looked over at me in surprise. "You're sayin' you can relate to River? Really?"

I fidgeted in place. "Don't say it like that! But... yeah. I mean, she got panicked and mad and did something stupid... that's me all over." I frowned. "Or at least it used to be."

Applejack studied me for a few seconds, considering, and then slowly nodded. "I reckon I get why the map sent you, now."

I shrugged uncomfortably. "If you say so. I still think almost anypony could do a better job, here."

Applejack shook her head emphatically. "No, I don't think they could. I think..." she looked back over to Pine. "I think I should stay here, with Pine. I know what to say to'em, and I think you'll know what to say to River."

She believes in me? To deal with this? Is she crazy? Or... does she really trust me?

I blanched. "What?! But, Applejack! Last time I dealt with an abusive mom I—"

Applejack cut me off with a serious look. "Does this feel the same t'you? If you really think that'll happen again, say the word and Ah'll come with ya, or heck, we can get out of here. I don't want you doin' anythin' you think is unsafe."

I froze and thought it over, really taking a moment. I took a deep breath. "No... no, this isn't the same. I don't hate River, and I'm not afraid of her. I'm just angry she did that to a... a kid." I glanced over at Pine. "Is that... selfish of me? Caring just because he's a kid, like me?"

Applejack huffed, gently pressing her hoof to my shoulder. "No, Cozy. You're jus' feelin' protective 'cuz you know exactly how bad this stuff can be. Now, I can't pretend to know what it was like to go through what you went through... and that's why I can't offer the same kinda perspective to River you can."

I shuffled a bit. "But the only perspective I want to offer her right now is an up-close view of my hoof at high speeds."

Applejack just studied me neutrally, making me uncomfortable. That was kinda supposed to be a joke...

She raised an eyebrow. "Well... d'you think that'd help?"

I started. "What? No! O-or... I don't think it would... probably?"

Applejack snickered. "Well, the map sent you for a reason, like I said. We're partners on this, so I'm listenin' to what you suggest. And maybe she does need somepony to put her hoof down firm, or maybe she just needs to hear somethin' you have to say."

I took a few deep breaths, really turning it over in my mind. "I guess... I guess I do have a lot of things I want to say. A-and I guess there's a lot I want to ask her about, too..."

Applejack smiled sadly and nodded. "I kinda figured as much. So how do we handle this?"

Come on... I've fought monsters and villains, I can handle one pony—kirin who messed up. I can do this!

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. "You handle Pine, I'll handle River."

Applejack's smile brightened, and she clapped me on the shoulder. "Knew I could count on you. And if anything dangerous or too bad happens, you just come straight back t'me, right?"

I nodded hurriedly. "Right. We promised my mom I'd stay safe, so..."

Applejack nodded, and we split up.

I watched Cozy set off, little bundle of nerves that she was, and I sighed. I was nervous as all get-out, too, but I was doing my best to put up a brave face for her. I turned to go back to the table, only to stop short as Autumn approached me. She glanced at Cozy and then back to me.

"Are you sure it's really a good idea to send Cozy on her own to deal with this?"

I laughed more out of nerves than anything. "Wouldn't say I'm sure, but I'm not much certain of anythin' with this quest."

Autumn frowned and set a hoof on my barrel. "I remember you saying in your letter that you were trying to trust her more, now. I can appreciate that, really! But doesn't it seem like this is a bit too much?"

I sighed and sat down, looking over to watch Cozy make her way towards the edge of the village. "Maybe. But if I'm bein' perfectly honest, I'm not much sure what else to do. I don't want River feelin' like we're gangin' up on her, and I don't even know what I'd have t'say to a mare like that. 'Don't do it again?' It's pretty obvious t'me that she already knows that, or she wouldn't be avoidin' home so much. I know from experience, when I get too set on doin' things my way durin' one of these trips, it can just cause even more trouble."

Autumn nodded slowly. "I guess I can see that. How do you think Cozy will handle it?"

I shrugged, and then laughed. "Heck if I know! She's one unpredictable filly, and strong-willed, too. Only thing I know for sure is she won't let River back around Pine until she's darn sure things'll work out. An' she's clever, too; she might not believe in herself that much, but I think she'll figure somethin' out. And in any case, I think River will want to hear what Cozy has to say; hearin' about these sorts of things from a foal who went through'em herself is sure to make an impression."

Autumn cocked her head. "But you don't think you should be there to mediate?"

I shook my head. "If I went there, it's bits-to-apples that Cozy'd never open up, feel like she can say what needs t'be said. 'Sides, somepony's gotta talk to Pine, help'em sort things out on his side."

Autumn smiled at me, nodding. "Well, I'll be here to back you up the whole way, AJ. Heh, rhyme. But seriously; you just say the word if you need me to step in."

I smiled back at the ever-positive kirin, standing up and adjusting my hat. "Awful thankful for that, Autumn. Let's get to it."

I was nervous, but I pushed that down. I had to keep reminding myself I'd faced far worse.

Unfortunately, my mind kept coming around to the idea of someone hitting Pine, and my anger just kept building the more I thought about it. It got to the point that it was hard to breathe and my legs felt like lead, and I had to stop and lean against a tree to breathe and let it all recede.

It's not fair to River to put all of my anger at Bree on her.

But that's not the point! She hit her own foal out of anger!

She made a mistake, but I need to see how she feels about it before you go all roaring rampage Cozy on her!

I sucked in deep breaths, and by the time my anger faded my legs felt like jelly, and I felt dizzy. I tried to focus, think back on something that could help with this.

Celestia said... it's easy to judge from the outside. But I haven't had to parent anypony, so, I've got to keep an open mind. I mean, I can judge right from wrong, but I really need to listen to them just listen to them before I do anything rash.

I took a few more seconds to gather myself and sort my mind out, and I made my way. River Flash was, fittingly enough, at the river, and had a grey-blue coloration that matched it as well. She was tending the waterwheel that ground the grain for the village. I took a second to steel myself, and walked up to her.

And I almost immediately noted that she looked miserable. She perked up when she saw me, but it was pretty blatantly faked.

"Oh, hello, filly! Are you visiting the village?"

I nodded. "Applejack and I were sent here on a friendship quest. My name's Cozy Glow."

She blinked in surprise, pausing in her work. "A friendship quest? Like Applejack and Fluttershy before?"

I nodded. She seemed nervous, but I couldn't pinpoint why, only hazard a guess.

Time to be blunt. Works for Starlight.

"It seems like the problem is between you and your son." I grit my teeth a little before continuing. "Would you mind telling me about that?"

Her eyes shot wide in surprise and she slapped down on her rump. "You're here to help us?" She took a deep breath, holding a hoof against her chest. "I-I don't know what to say, but thank you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Don't thank me yet." I strode over near her and sat down as well, and I tried to keep from glaring. "He told me about what happened."

She flinched, turning away from me to look at the river. "... Good. Then I guess I don't have to explain. What should I do? When I told Rain, the village leader, she just said I had to sort it out myself! I thought there would be some sort of support, but Autumn's anger-management classes obviously haven't worked for me! So... should I go to the stream?"

It took me a few seconds to sort through that. "You... turned yourself in?"

She threw her hooves up. "Of course! I hit my foal, what was I supposed to do? Pretend it never happened? Wait for it to happen again?!"

I flinched. Yes...? "No...?"

She nodded frantically. "Exactly! I had to do something. But... but I don't know what to do! I didn't mean to hurt him, but it could happen again..."

I held up a hoof. "Could you explain exactly what happened? I get that he was throwing a tantrum and turned into a nirik, but if you didn't mean to hurt him, what did you do?"

She cringed. "Well, it's just, our house is built into a tree. It's flammable. Our village has burnt down before! I was trying to calm him down, but once he went up he just kept getting louder, and started smashing everything, and I was so worried something would catch fire, I... I transformed too, and I swatted him before I even knew what I was doing. I-I think I thought it would stun him out of it, and it did, but..."

She was shaking violently by the time she finished, and held a hoof up to her mouth. She started crying and turned away from me, slowly rapping her forehooves around herself and rocking back and forth. "What do I do? He was so terrified of me, it killed me to see him look at me like that. I tried to explain to him that I didn't mean to hurt him, that it wasn't his fault, but... he just seemed so scared, and when I tried to... I tried to hug him and he backed away from me."

She took a second to wipe her eyes as she continued, her face sick. "A-and I was terrified that I would hurt him again, and I just felt so sick and disgusted with myself, I just... I just wanted to get myself out of my son's presence. I didn't want him to be around anyone who would scare him like that. I went down to the stream of silence, so it would never happen again, but I realized that he's still relearning his vocabulary after the years of silence. We only recently got his stutter under control... if I could never..."

She hitched and buried her face in her hooves. "If I could never speak to my own son again, how could I help him with anything? And would I even feel the same for him after? I just couldn't... but my temper has been so bad since we changed back. I started avoiding everyone in the village, just to avoid flare-ups, but after so long under the effects of the stream I just don't have any control over my feelings anymore!"

She started sobbing into her hooves, and by the time she was finished talking I felt heartbroken. I imagined, just for a second, Mom in the same position she was in now. She'd been in a similar position; I'd been afraid of her shortly after I came back, and that alone seemed to make it hard for her to know what to do with me. The idea of how she'd feel if she accidentally hurt me, and I blamed her for it...

It made me want to throw up.

I trotted over next to the weeping mare and sat down next to her, just close enough for our coats to touch. I watched the river flow past for a little while, thinking of what to say, while she wept.

"Being a parent is pretty tough, huh...?"

She hitched and looked at me with anguish. "No! Or, it didn't used to be... my son was what made my life feel worth living. He brightened everything for me! He's the center of my world, the reason I feel like I should get up in the morning, but now I don't know what to do for him!"

I sighed. "You know... when I came out here, I was really furious with you."

She sniffled and wiped her face. "Really...? Well, that makes two of us, I guess. I m-mean, what kind of monster hits their kid?"

I scoffed. "Oh please. You didn't even mean to do anything wrong, or hurt anyone. Everything you've done was with good intentions, you just messed up. Everyone does that. You wouldn't know a monster if it up and bit you, if you think that's what you are."

Or if it up and sat down next to you, for that matter.

Less self-sass and more helping the parent and kid!

She just scoffed at me in turn. "W-well you don't understand. He—"

I held up a hoof and shot her a glare that could curdle milk. She flinched slightly, and I took the opportunity. "I do understand. My birth-mother used to hit me, bad, and my brother and sister, too. So I think I understand pretty well why this is serious to you, because I understand the harm that can be done. From personal experience."

We stared at each other for a few seconds. The mare's expression turned from offense to horror. "What do you mean she used to hit you...?"

I huffed. "I guess you could probably find the scars under my coat, if you're really curious. There was a lot of other bad stuff, too, but you wanna know what the worst part was?"

She cringed, but I pressed on anyway, not even caring about her answer. "It was the words. Not the cuts, not the pain, not going hungry or being completely humiliated. Those were awful, but the worst part was the words. A good friend of mine told me everyone thinks to themselves in their head with different voices. Well, do you know what voices a foal uses? Think back."

She froze, thinking on it. "T... their parents?"

I felt my temper rising, but not at River. I let it run free.

"Bingo. Or at least, that's what I did, and I bet it's what any kid who's been screamed at by their parents enough does. You hear 'you're worthless', 'good-for-nothing', 'lazy', 'ungrateful', 'selfish', 'ugly', 'fat', 'stupid'... whatever words they use, do you know what happens? They rattle around up here," I pointed at my head sharply "constantly. Every time you're ashamed, upset at yourself, or you just doubt yourself, it's all multiplied by whatever hate they already put inside of you! Hate for yourself!"

I was breathing hard, staring at her and leaning up at her, and she looked almost terrified. I took a deep breath and settled back down, bringing my mind back in focus. "If your kid had bumped his head as hard as you hit him, would you even be worried? No! I can tell because you love him and you didn't stay around that night, so it wasn't like you hit him hard or he was injured, right?"

She blinked, confused. "No, he was alright, physically..."

"Yeah, exactly. The reason it even matters that you hit him is because you betrayed his trust. And you know that, obviously. And yeah, that hurts. But you just did it once, by accident; he can get over that! Everyone makes mistakes! Maybe it's a good way to teach him that you do, too, and you're not perfect, or something, or whatever parents do to turn stuff into teachable moments! Look, the point is, the emotional harm is what counts, so you need to go and address that. What you're doing now is a lot worse than hitting him was!"

She cringed, her ears folded back. "But what if I hit him again...?"

I sighed. "Well that is a problem, if you think it's likely. If it becomes a pattern, then you'll just end up exactly like my... ex-mom. Or at least, it'll still be bad. Even if he can live with it, it's going to change how you see your relationship if you get used to hitting him in anger like that. That's what happened with Bree... she just stopped apologizing one day, I guess because she got tired of feeling bad about it, and started blaming us. So, yeah, you need to get a handle on your anger."

She followed along with what I said, ears still folded back, and nodded along. When I finished, she sighed. "But how do I do that? That's the whole problem!"

I gave her a flat look. "It's not the whole problem. You've been neglecting him!"

She averted her eyes from mine. "I didn't mean to...! I just, I wanted to keep him safe from me. I check up on him, I still sleep there, I just..."

I groaned, waving a hoof in a 'get on with it' gesture. "Yes, you just avoid him during the day, mope all the time, and barely talk to him, is that about right?"

She sighed again, deeper this time, closing her eyes. "Yes..."

"So you're emotionally neglecting him. And that's the part that really hurts! He thinks he drove you away! He's been pretending to be happy when you're around because he thinks that will get you to stick around more!"

Her eyes shot wide at that and she stared at me in horror. I held up a hoof, taking a deep breath. "Look, there's no point in worrying about that now. Spilt milk or whatever; you can go make it up to him and never do it again when you get back. But as for your anger issue, we're going to need to do something about that." I stood up. "And... I've got an idea."

She stood up as well, watching me with pained, yet hopeful eyes. "Really? What is it?"

I began doing stretches. "It's something that really helped me learn to control my temper, and treat violence as a tool rather than an instinct, so I stopped having violent outbursts."

She eyed my behavior. "S... stretches?"

"I'm going to teach you martial arts."

She eyed me flatly, almost disbelievingly.

"Umm... beg pardon?"

I paused in my stretches and scowled at her. "You heard me. Do you want to solve this problem or not?"

She hesitated. "B-but that... how would learning to fight make me less angry and less violent?"

"Because right now, you only understand violence in terms of getting really mad, and then using a lot of force, having no control. What you want to be able to do is control your anger and control your violence. So I'm going to teach you to control violence – martial arts! And it really does change how you think of fighting."

She eyed me with clear skepticism. "I really don't know... this doesn't sound like a good idea..."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Okay. First? You don't have any other ideas to compare it to. Second? I know what I'm talking about. When I get mad, I don't jump to violence anymore. I almost did, once, and that was an extreme situation, but I still held myself back. And that's because fighting isn't just an instinct for me any more – it's a choice."

She looked around nervously. "B-but you're just a foal! I can't fight with you!"

I snorted, and started digging in my bag. "Yeah, you're right, you can't fight with me. You'd get whupped so bad they'd never find all the pieces of your shattered pride."

I spotted her staring at me in disbelief as I drank a potion. I just smiled as I downed it and tossed it aside, and continued. "But we can spar – that's a training fight, where we try not to hurt each other – and that's going to teach you how to control your movements and avoid hurting someone unintentionally."

She recoiled. "But I could hurt you on accident!"

I shrugged. "You're not my mom. I don't care if you hurt me; I'm a fighter. I've gotten plenty of bumps, bruises, and black eyes in my time. The emotional damage is what matters, and there isn't any of it in a spar. But you don't need to worry about that anyway, because you won't be able to actually hurt me anyway, since you're still a novice."

She hesitantly took a step backwards. "T-this really doesn't sound like my kind of thing. I don't know... it sounds risky."

I sighed. "Do you want to feel safe near your foal again, or not?"

She froze on the spot. "Of course I do! But I can't just go fighting some other—this is crazy!"

I'd finally just had enough.

"Well, guess this will be easy then!"

I pounced at her, causing her to flinch in surprise, and my hoof flew out so fast she didn't even have a chance to react before it gently tapped her nose. She scrunched her muzzle. "W-what was—"

I skirted around her and tagged her in the barrel with a rising hoof, kicking off of my hind legs hard enough to shove her over, though not hard. She sprawled, looking alarmed and confused, and scrambled to her hooves. "H-hey, stop!"

I looked at her sternly. "No! Because what happens if you get surprised by your kid again, huh?" I pounced at her again, and she backed up, but I had stretched my back out to give the appearance of a much higher jump than what I actually went for; instead, I slid beside her and spun my hooves into hers, just hard enough to make her flop onto her rump and keel over in a panicked, flailing mess.

I pounced on her while she was down, pinning one of her hooves in an awkward position. I leaned in close. "You need to defend yourself, so you can learn to get a grip when things suddenly get chaotic around you. So it never happens again!"

She struggled in frustration with me, and after holding her pinned for a few seconds, I released her, jumping up and squaring off. She slowly got to her hooves, actually glaring at me now.

"Cozy, this is ridiculous! What are you trying to prove, here?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm trying to teach you."

She huffed and threw her head back. "Well I'm not playing along with... this!"

That suddenly set me off for real. I growled at her. "Oh, I get it. So your son is the center of your universe right up until you have to do something embarrassing or weird, huh? Is that about right?"

She looked alarmed. "No! That's not—I mean, martial arts to deal with anger issues?! This is silly!"

"Run a better idea by me, and we'll go with that!"

She hesitated, opening her mouth and leaving it hanging for a second. "Ah... I..."

"That's pretty much what I figured! Maybe you need a little more motivation. These will sting!"

I pounced in, laying a light shot on her cheek and barrel, both just hard enough to ache a bit and jostle her. She reeled back in surprise and threw a hoof up to defend herself, and I wrapped a leg around it and hauled her over, sticking a rear hoof out to catch her and soften the fall, but not enough that it wouldn't be aggravating.

She grunted, scrambling to her hooves, and was about to object again when I popped her gently in the jaw.

That should do it...

She glared at me, and then reared up and roared, turning into a nirik in a pillar of flame.

I tackled her underside, flipped her onto her back, and bodyslammed her hard enough to almost knock the wind out of her. She went back into her normal form in a daze. I looked at her from my position on top.

"Sorry, but going nirik means you've lost control, and that means you take a penalty; I put you down before you can escalate the spar."

She stared at me agape, and I just leaned in close and whispered, "Oh, and that potion I drank made me fireproof, by the way, so I didn't even have to avoid your flames."

I hauled her back to her hooves. She was dazed, but no longer angry. She eyed me critically. "So... you're going to punish me every time I go nirik? Is that the idea?"

I waved a hoof irritably and blew a raspberry out of the side of my mouth. "No, it's not punishment. But if you start attacking me full-force, you could end up getting seriously hurt. You could easily get a leg broken if I block you the wrong way as you try to pounce or run past at full force, for instance. So if that happens, I have to subdue you immediately. But it will probably hurt, and if that helps you get yourself under control, great. It's not the point at all, though."

She shook her head. "I don't even understand... for a second I lost control, just like with Pine, but I just... you just stopped me so effortlessly. I felt powerless."

I nodded. "That's because you are! You have no idea how to fight! You literally can't do anything out here unless I let you – not even run away, because I'm faster than you!" I buzzed my wings for emphasis. "And a setting in which you're powerless is the perfect one to learn not to cause harm."

I would know.

She hesitated, tapping her chin. "Are you... are you really absolutely sure about this?"

I nodded sternly. "The cutie map sent me here, and this is all I can think of that will really help you out with this. I mean, I could just leave and hope that you hating yourself is enough to keep you from hitting Pine again, but that's not really good enough for me. Is it good enough for you?"

She shook her head. "I'm just... still trying to wrap my head around this."

I nodded and strode up. "Well, at least we're getting somewhere. I want you to try to hit me." I took a low stance, ready to guard.

She threw a very hesitant, slow swat at me. I irritably swatted it aside, causing her to flinch a tiny bit.

"Hey! What the heck was that?"

"You need to get over your nerves. You've got to swing a lot faster, and then have the control to prevent a hard contact. Like this!"

She barely had time to register my words and try to lift a defense before I swung, but it didn't even matter; my hoof moved way too quickly for her to track or do anything about, at that range. It tapped her on the head so gently it barely depressed her coat, and was back down at my side before she could even blink in response. She stared at me.

"I... I don't think I know how to do that. That was so fast. Everything you do seems so fast!"

I shrugged. "I probably should have mentioned, I've actually fought monsters for real before. If you don't believe me, you could just go and ask Applejack. I'm not just some kid with a few classes, or something."

She shook her head in befuddlement. "Why would a foal be fighting monsters?!"

I grinned at her. "Now that's a long story, but let's keep it short and say that the map of friendship doesn't send just anypony to deal with problems. Now, try hitting me again!"

She tensed up, and I could predict the swing just from her balance. I swatted it aside and nodded.

"Okay, that was better. It was obvious that it was coming because you tensed up so much, and it was still too slow, but you pulled it really well. Try relaxing more before you swing."

It took several more tries before she started to get the idea, and I ended up blocking a pretty heavy swing. I grinned.

"Okay, that was fast enough. I'm not quite in range for you to swing too fast for me to defend. But it also landed too hard; you need to learn to be fast, but also gentle. What if you had to restrain Pine from doing something that would hurt him?"

She blinked a few times, and then lit up. "Oh! So we really are practicing being gentle!"

"Gentle, but effective. And if you do it enough, 'gentle' will be your default when you move, and you'll only hit hard when you really intend to."

She laughed. "That actually makes sense! I get how this could actually help now!"

I laughed too. "Well, I guess it's on me for not explaining it well before I just went all bugbear on you, but, well... I'm still learning too." I scratched the back of my neck with a hoof. "I haven't really had to train anyone, aside from myself. I'm just trying to pass on what helped me stop hurting people."

Her expression became appraising. "For a bit, there, I guess I didn't remember you were here to help me... or thought you were just crazy. But I appreciate the effort you're putting in."

I smiled back at her. "Well... I really appreciate the effort you're putting in to being a better parent. I wish everypony took it as seriously."

She frowned to the side and cocked her head at me. "I'm really sorry about what happened with your mom."

"Ex-mom, and don't worry about it." I puffed out my chest and stood tall. "I have the best mom in Equestria now, so I'd say I broke even."

She cocked her head to the other side. "You were adopted?"

I nodded. "By Princess Luna, actually. It's... another long story."

Her eyes widened, and then she blew a raspberry. "If you'd said that to begin with, then I'd have believed you about being a fighter! Although..."

I smirked. "Either you wouldn't have believed me, or you'd be afraid of ticking off the Princess?"

She bounced her head around considering it and eventually worked out to a nod. "Yeah, I guess so. You thought that far ahead?"

"Not really. I just don't tell folks that about myself unless I have some reason to. I don't want them thinking of me in terms of her."

She raised an eyebrow. "I guess standing in her shadow is kind of rough, huh?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all. It's just that, if I do something embarrassing, I don't want ponies thinking of her as a bad mom."

We watched each other for a few seconds, and she scoffed and shook her head with a smile. "Being a child can be pretty tough, too, huh?"

I shrugged, and then smirked. "Alright, enough slacking! Now, since we were talking about restraining Pine safely, I was thinking we'd do a drill where I run around and you have to stop me without being too rough; I think that'll help with your movement speed..."

We kept training for a couple of hours that way, going back and forth, with River tending to the waterwheel during the breaks in our training. She'd spent so much extra time here that it really didn't need any tending for the time being, but she was pretty diligent about her job. The sun was setting by the time we made it back to the village, and River's confidence had already grown by leaps and bounds.

We returned to River's house to find Applejack, Autumn, and Pine inside. The door had scarcely opened before Pine had practically pounced at River. She leaned back and caught him in surprise, and they stared at each other in shock. Applejack and Autumn stared, too. I just hoofpumped.

"Yes! The kid-catch drill actually worked!"

River started laughing intensely, and hugged Pine tight. Applejack came outside and sat next to me, watching the display with a contented smile. I nudged her with my rump.

"So, you explained what was going on to Pine, and got him to stop feeling bad about driving his mom off?"

Applejack nodded, grinning down at me. "Took a lot more doin' than I thought it would, but we got him to feel better. He's been waitin' all excited for her to come home ever since."

I smiled softly at her. "You really did have a lot of confidence in me, huh?"

She nodded and looked back to the two embracing kirin. "Knowin' you, knowin' your history, seein' how you've overcome your anger problems, and knowin' your Ma? Yeah, I figured it was a safe bet."

I snickered. "Well, it wasn't easy getting her to agree to what I had in mind, but I think it's really working for her."

Autumn had finally come outside, and just stared at me for a second before commenting, "Wait, why does Cozy have a busted lip?"

I laughed at that as River turned scarlet, and pointed a hoof at her. "I was training her, and she got a good shot in! I'm proud of her!"

River looked between Applejack and Autumn nervously. Applejack laughed and rubbed her forehead.

"You mean t'tell me you helped her deal with her anger issues by teachin' her to fight?"

I nodded, and she just laughed harder.

"Why that's the most – hahaha! – that's the most Cozy Glow thing I ever heard!"

I blinked at that, nonplussed, but then thought about it, shrugged, and nodded.

"You know what? I'll take it."

All of our attention was diverted to a humming noise, and it soon became clear our cutie marks were glowing. Applejack took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh. "I reckon that means it's time to head on back to Ponyville, Cozy."

I shook my head. "I need to stay a few more days. I need to train some other kirin for River to practice against; there's probably other folks here who could benefit from it, and she wanted me to teach Pine, too."

Applejack looked me over fondly. "Oh yeah...? Well, I don't suppose it would hurt none, if'n you're sure. I'll let your Ma know, if you two will look after her...?"

She glanced to River and Autumn, who both nodded in the affirmative, and then looked back to me and tipped her hat. "Mighty fine workin' with ya, Cozy. I'm proud of ya; don't be a stranger, y'hear?"

I nodded, and almost yelped in surprise when Applejack gave me a hug. I leaned into her and hugged back affectionately. As we disengaged, she opened her eyes and yelped. I jumped back in surprise. "What's wrong?!"

"Cozy, your wings! When did the crystals spread that far?"

I looked at one of my wings. What had previously been thin black crystals running along a few of my inner feathers had now expanded to run tendrils down half of my feathers, and almost encased some of the inner feathers entirely. I blinked a few times in surprise.

"I... I don't know. I didn't notice."

Applejack grimaced. "You need to keep an eye on that. I'll tell Luna, but if it spreads any further you come back straightaway, y'hear?"

I nodded, frowning in puzzlement.

I never felt it spread...

I shook my head and folded my wings. "Alright, Professor. They feel fine, at least."

Applejack cocked her head. "I thought you stopped callin' me professor a while back?"

I realized my error and laughed sheepishly. "Oh, right, sorry. I guess this whole thing felt a little like a field-trip to me. I did learn a lot."

Applejack tousled my hair. "That so? Well, if you ever wanna have me as a professor again for real, y'just let Starlight know."

I nodded with a smile. "I'll think it over."

With that, Applejack departed, and I spent a few days in the kirin village training River, Pine, and the volunteer Autumn, who was excited to dig into my new anger-management process. By the time I departed, I'd made three new friends, and River seemed completely at peace.

On the train ride back, when I thought over it, I kept coming around to one line of thinking.

What I did for River and Pine... that is the kind of hero I want to be.

Empathy 2

View Online

I settled comfortably into the bench next to my sister, giving her a playful nudge.

"Are you sure you're fine being up during the day like this, Luna?"

Luna smirked at me. "Come now, sister, you know that my schedule has become more erratic than that lately."

I nodded, taking a deep breath of the cool air. Not long until the Running of the Leaves, now. "After all the trouble you had participating in the activities at Silver Shoals, I have to admit I am surprised at how easily you've adapted now."

Luna gave a shrug and a small smile. "Well, it's a mutual effort. Cozy's schedule varies between day and night, and we both sleep in naps. I still sleep primarily during daylight hours, but I do try to make myself more available during the day."

I cocked my head at that. "Cozy varies her schedule? I only ever see her during the day."

Luna snickered at that. "Well, naturally. How often have you gone looking for her at night? But you likely wouldn't see her out and about, regardless. We spend most of our time together at night."

I smiled at that, feeling a sense of relief. "I had wondered how often you two actually interacted, given your sleep schedules. It's reassuring to know you found something that works for both of you."

Luna giggled at that, nudging me. "Really, sister. Did you think I adopted her, only to sleep through her life? Don't be absurd."

I rolled my eyes. "Come now, Lulu. Don't be like that. From an outside perspective it's an obvious question to ask, and since I only come around every few days I haven't had the chance to see what your home life is actually like, really. I always spend my time here teaching Cozy."

Luna nodded. "We're both grateful for that. She really is quite industrious in her studies; she often comes to me for assistance, and I fear someday soon she may outstrip my own understanding in some fields. She's already tested out of her grade-level for this year."

I snickered. "I know precisely what you mean! The questions she asks are both insightful and quite difficult, sometimes, even for me. I'd thought teaching a non-unicorn magic would be difficult for entirely different reasons, I have to admit."

Luna's look became far-off at that. "You didn't see her before, as Quillon. Her grasp of magic was quite impressive; especially the combat arts. In that world, she had fallen quite behind in her studies, due to her time in Tartarus and encased in stone... but she worked through it, with the two of us. It encourages me greatly to see she has not lost that drive along with her powers; I did worry she would."

I considered that for a few moments. "Perhaps it has provided even more encouragement for her. She seems determined to reclaim her position as a hero; her focus in the studies of alchemy and magic, at least, seems driven by that pursuit."

Luna adjusted her wings a bit in discomfort, her face sinking a bit. "Indeed, the desire to return to her old life is a strong one. I should rather see her enjoy her childhood; enough of it has been robbed from her as it is. Yet, I cannot say I do not understand her position, either; I was immensely proud of her accomplishments, and I, too, miss her heroic persona at times."

I nudged into her again with a smile, catching her eye. "You do seem relentlessly supportive of her efforts. It seems your daughter has a fan in you; and here I thought perhaps you would try to gently dissuade her from that lifestyle."

Luna grimaced. "Do you believe I should? My instinct is to keep her safe, yet..."

Ah, perhaps I went too far with that comment...

I shook my head. "Obviously, protecting your child is important to you. But you also can't let that get in the way of them growing up. Where you draw that line is... well, that has to be a decision the two of you make together. That's why you let her go on this quest, isn't it?"

She took in a deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes. "It is. I know that over-protectiveness can be dangerous as well. It's something she and I have discussed a few times."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what does she think?"

Luna laughed, rolling her eyes. "She is so bent on keeping me from worrying she would likely agree to virtually anything! For instance, I merely told her that she did not need to go behind my back to pursue power and heroics, and now she has it in her head that there is an ironclad rule that she must inform me of anything she does to become stronger. Which, I will admit, does make keeping track of her pursuits easier, but..."

I grimaced. "But since she thinks of it as a rule, she's afraid of breaking it, and making you angry."

Luna nodded. "She does seem to understand parenting in terms of rules. In the other timeline, I once asked her to quiet down, as I was sleeping; thus, there is now a rule, to her, that the house must be kept silent during the day. She becomes quite apologetic any time she fails in that regard. 'You should probably do that outside' became 'no alchemy indoors'. There are even things I never asked for; her room is kept so immaculately clean, it frankly unnerves me."

I leaned back a bit in shock at Luna's explanation ."W-well... those do sound like reasonable policies, up to a point..."

Luna scoffed. "Up to a point, but it's gotten such that I am often nervous about what I say to her, lest it be construed as an order. It was not like this before, either! As Quillon, she met me on her terms, and it was up to me to convince her to stay. She was just... a foal scared witless, but absolutely determined to save her friend from some threat. I was simply a friend to her in a dire moment, and the rest followed from that."

Luna blew out an exhausted breath. "I met her as a hero, first and foremost, and while I worried about one so young doing something so dangerous, the simple fact was that she was incredibly capable. I... suppose I just took her in when she needed it. I suspected she was Cozy Glow, but her actions and behavior seemed so contrary to what I'd been told of her that I decided to overlook that. I understood the need for second chances quite well, of course."

Luna rested back in the bench and slowly shook her head. "After she began to regain her memories... she grew more quiet, over time. More sullen, more intense in her training, and less independent. The energetic, confident filly who had stormed into my life was gone, though she gradually became more sincere and considerate as time passed, as well. She came to me more and more for advice, for companionship, for comfort... and closed out the rest of the world, to an extent. She was terrified of relapsing, becoming 'Cozy Glow' again, and... something she told me, she took risks the way she did because she felt the need to prove she had some sort of worth to herself."

I winced. "And you believe that's what drives her current behavior?"

Luna nodded sharply. "It's become obvious. Whereas she seemed to overcome that sense of worthlessness in the other timeline, once she had the full force of her memories restored, and her accomplishments were rendered... well, immaterial, I believe her confidence was destroyed as well. While she's been doing better, making friends once more and regaining some of her optimism, I find her attitude towards me... difficult."

I nodded, giving Luna a little squeeze to remind her I was there for her. "I can see why. You remember the last time she went through a self-doubting phase like this, only back then she was more independent and confident. By the sounds of things, you need to watch your tongue around her very carefully now, and that's not healthy for a relationship."

Luna groaned. "And no lie! I asked her to pick up groceries once; now the house is always stocked. I commented that I liked her cooking; now she cooks an evening breakfast for me regularly. She even replaced our microwave! I never gave her bits for that, which means she spent her own money to do it!" Luna sighed, rubbing her head, and I cringed slightly from what she'd said. I nuzzled Luna while I thought of what to say.

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't believe all of those things are driven by fear. She clearly loves you, even if she's perhaps, erm, overly accommodating in some respects."

Luna nodded and pressed back into me, smiling softly. "I know that, of course. And it's hardly as though this defines our entire relationship; the time we spend together can be so uplifting, it's easy for me to forget my troubles entirely. For all that I fret, she's brightened my nights considerably since returning. Indeed, I have missed her sorely just from her short absence to the kirin village."

That brought a smile back to my face. "I'm happy for you. We usually only talk about what's troubling you, so I had started to wonder!" I snickered. "But I am glad to hear it's not all stress and concern at your house."

Luna snorted. "My human counterpart seems to feel I've just overthought everything, and perhaps she is right. I... I tried broaching the topic with Cozy, telling her I had trouble knowing where to draw a line, and I believe that may have made things more difficult between us. I have grown to trust her, and I believed we were ready to have such a talk, but I think she may have taken what I said to mean that I was afraid I would drive her away. She grew even more submissive after that."

Hmm... I wonder how I can illustrate this issue to Cozy, and bring them closer together...

I began formulating a plan of attack, so to speak, as I responded. "Well, now that we know what her old home was like, it's not hard to see why she has the perception of parenting and authority that she does. And now that she has a loving home, she's obviously going to do whatever she can to hold on to it..."

My eyes widened slightly as something clicked in place, and Luna looked up at me curiously. "Sister?"

"Ah, sorry, I was just thinking... Cozy lost all of her abilities, her accomplishments, and she wasn't even aware that she would be able to keep her home on returning here, from what I've gathered. I hadn't considered it all together before, but... I think, perhaps, she sees her home with you as the only thing she has left to lose. That is to say, without you... she has nothing."

Luna balked. "But I would never turn her out like that!"

I sighed. "She's already lost one home in this world, Luna. She thought she would lose you, too, when she returned. Sunset also told me some of what she experienced during her... Sunset called it her 'nightmare', in the forest. She said the most painful part was a vision of you, rejecting her, and that it wasn't the first time Cozy has been terrified of that."

Luna's breath caught. "I... I think I might know of another time. After she thought she had made me angry, I found her absolutely devastated, panicked... she'd even torn apart her bed spread in some kind of fit. It was shortly after she had returned, and I was shocked at how scared of me she seemed. I was still adjusting to the changes in her personality between this world and the other, and after we met Bree I... I simply attributed all of her fear and odd behavior to an expectation that I would be like her. But in retrospect, I think that her reaction... it makes sense if she was afraid I would disown her."

I brushed Luna's mane gently. "Given that her own sense of self-worth was so troubled after her return, it's not surprising she also doubted her worth to others so severely. But then, she has been getting better, hasn't she?"

She nodded slowly, gaze distant. "She has, or so I thought... But then, why would she be going even farther out of her way to placate me?"

I considered it for a short while, humming as I did so. "Honestly, I'm not sure. At this point, all we can do is discuss it with her."

Luna sighed. "I just hope doing so does not drive her even farther towards such extremes. Honestly! I was almost glad when I found the alcohol, as I believed it provided a good moment to put my hoof down with her and establish guidelines, while also showing her I was not like her birth-mother. Instead, she barely seemed perturbed by my accusation, and there was a reasonable explanation. That would be the end of it, but she practically cowered when I approached her; then I made a single errant comment about the difficulty in setting rules with her and things get worse!"

I listened to her, cocked my head, thought about it, and could not resist a laugh. Luna shot a betrayed glare at me. "Sister! What about any of this is funny?!"

I suppressed my laugh down to a snicker and looked at my sister. "Luna... she's worried about your feelings. By the sounds of it, she trusted you to listen to reason, and only became troubled when she thought you were upset."

Luna froze, and then facehoofed. "She's just trying to make raising her easier...?"

I gave her another squeeze and looked down at her affectionately. "Like I said earlier, sister; she's probably more motivated by her love for you than by fear, at this point. Or, I should hope so."

Luna grumbled, shaking her head and kneading it with her hoof. "Teenagers are supposed to be rebellious, are they not? Do not tell me even that has changed in this era!"

I laughed again and rolled my eyes. "No, Lulu, you just got yourself a strange one. But then, you did adopt a hero; what did you expect? Temper tantrums and demands for toys?"

"Yes!" Luna threw her hooves up in frustration, though she had a smirk. "On some level, at some point, yes! An unusual child, certainly, but still a child! She should not be trying to raise herself, trying to make my life easier...! Hmph."

Luna pouted adorably, and I just rolled my eyes, getting a snicker from her. I shot her an amused look. "Are you seriously trying to complain that your child is too well-behaved?"

Luna huffed. "It's not as though she is flawless. She does make mistakes; the occasional thoughtless or rude remark, inconsiderate decision, that sort of thing. Lately I worry that if I comment on such matters, she will take it so severely that I will find her mute one day!"

I flinched, chewing my lip over. "Apologies, Luna. I didn't mean to make light of your problem, just... highlight the positive side of things."

Luna cast her gaze downward, sighing. "I've been doing some reading, you know. After finding out about Bree, my human counterpart lent me some texts on abused children. In some cases, they are known to be overly submissive. I just never would have expected that from Cozy Glow, or Quillon for that matter..."

I resumed brushing her mane. "Well, she did form a bond with you before she remembered her original home. And... from what I've gathered, that home was happy, once, too, long ago. Or at least it was not the nightmare it became. You can't take it personally that she is going through this."

Luna shuddered, and I realized with some alarm that she was on the verge of tears. "I just want my happy, sassy filly back! She had no trouble speaking her mind or, or goofing off with me before! I've seen her scared of me, I keep asking myself, what did I do to make her feel that way?! And now you tell me she's been worried about me throwing her out of our home – why would she ever think I could to that to her?! Losing her would be every bit as bad for me as for her!"

I jumped slightly at the sudden outpouring of emotion, holding her close.

What just happened?! One moment, things seemed fine, and then this?

I kept brushing Luna's mane as she shuddered again, more violently, and leaned in to me. She grit her teeth, but I saw her start crying softly, and I felt a combination of sadness and confusion.

"Luna? I... I thought you said things were good with her?"

Luna cringed and buried her face in my barrel.

"It hasn't been the same at all as it was before. And while she's been great to me, how much of that was motivated by all of... this? How much of her happiness or comfort with me is for my benefit?" She shuddered again. "Do I really understand her at all? Now that I've started to understand it, I can't stop seeing it as I think back!"

I spoke very softly as I held her. "Oh, Lulu... you can't blame yourself for this. You've been nothing but kind to her, and I'm sure she's just trying to do likewise. And it isn't as though she's unhappy! Please, just try to remember that this is a recovery process; she'll get better as long as we're there for it."

Luna nodded into me. We stayed there for some time before she was ready to pull away and clean herself up. We both wanted to be in high spirits for Cozy's return, to welcome her back to Ponyville. We made small talk, just to clear the air and pass the time, and soon enough the train was pulling up.

Partners

View Online

I slowly put on my saddlebags as the train pulled into the station.

I could just NOT tell her.

I already know how she feels about that! Look at how she reacted to Sunny and all of that! If I feel like something is skirting the rules, I have to tell her.

But I'm not sure if it counts, and I don't want to make her upset!

I can't just weasel out of it. If she gets angry it's my own fault.

I sighed, trying to put on a happy face. I was happy to be back, but knowing I had to fess up to Mom put a damper on the whole thing.

This should be a happy thing, dangit! Why'd I have to go and screw up?

I made my way off of the train, and quickly spotted Mom and Aunt Celestia perched on a nearby bench, all smiles. It was pretty obvious Mom, at least, was covering up some significant worries about me; I didn't even bother trying to crack Celestia's poker-face.

Probably just worrying about me in general.

I kept up my smile as I trotted up, hoping to reassure her, and Mom hopped off of her bench and gave me a warm, soft hug. Oh, I had missed those...

After a few seconds we broke apart, and Celestia trotted up as well, giving me a courteous nod. "Welcome back, Cozy."

"Thanks! I'm glad to be home. Staying at the kirin village was fun, but I didn't realize how much I'd miss home after just a few days. I guess it kinda snuck up on me; I used to be fine pretty much anywhere!"

I snickered uneasily, and saw the two of them exchange a look. Luna smiled down at me warmly, though I still got a sense something was bothering her.

"Well, you will always be able to come back home, Cozy."

Something about the way she said that seemed important, but I was more focused on the simple fact of her affection.

"Aww... Thanks, Mom. I know."

Celestia leaned in. "So, how was your trip? Applejack told us some of what happened; it sounded like you were sent to solve quite a difficult problem."

I snickered uneasily. "Yeah... the map sure knows how to play a mean joke, sending me in to deal with that. I didn't really handle it all that well, though things turned out okay. But, umm..."

I looked up at the two of them and hesitated, and forced my voice out. "I, uh, I wanted to let you know I did break the rules, Mom."

Mom recoiled very slightly in surprise, then cocked her head. "Er... to what rule do you refer?"

I went for something like a smile, and ended up with a grimace. Dumb face. Traitor! "W-well, you said not to take any unnecessary risks, and I did kinda pick a fight with a kirin. Sorta. I mean, I was trying to train them, and I thought it was important, and I took one of those fireproofing potions! But... that's still not really an excuse, huh?"

I sighed. Luna looked like she was going to say something, but while she hesitated Celestia beat her to it. "Oh? And how do you think you ought to be punished for this transgression?"

I flinched, my mind suddenly racing. Wait, she wants ME to decide?! That's not fair! How should I know?!

If I pick something really lenient they'll just be even more angry!

It felt a bit like I was spinning as I tried to formulate some kind of response. "U-uh, well, I'm not sure...? I guess, what would make you feel better...?"

Oh, that was DUMB. Ugh!

This wasn't really a good time for me to just speak my feelings.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, and I saw the ghost of a smile on her lips for a split second. "What would make us feel better? Do you believe that is the purpose of punishment?"

I froze up. "W-well no, technically...? It's supposed to be to, uh, to teach me to respect the rules and authority, right? Punishment just to make somepony feel better is just revenge... right?"

Come on, I know the answer to that already! Stop messing this up!

I just need to focus, right? Think it through. Strategize. But how the heck am I supposed to strategize around this?! I don't WANT to manipulate them into punishing me more lightly!

Celestia nodded as I fought internally. "That is correct. So, given that, what would you do to make yourself respect the rules better?"

"I don't know!" I blurted out, and realized I was shaking slightly. Get it together! "S-sorry, I'm just not sure... Um... can I get a minute to try to think it over?"

I suddenly felt a wing wrap around me, and looked up to see Mom staring at me seriously. "Cozy, we're not going to punish you." She shot Celestia a flat look before returning her focus to me. "Can you explain why you did what you did?"

Not punish me...? Does that mean she's just going to accept that I'm a disappointment...?

I hesitated. "B-but even if I do, it's just an excuse, isn't it...?"

Mom sighed. "Sweetie, if you break the rules for a good reason... you do understand why I asked you to stay safe and avoid unnecessary risks in the first place, don't you? I didn't mean to prevent you from doing what had to be done, I just wanted you to always think about your own safety. So, tell me... did you consider your own safety, the risks and benefits?"

I chewed my lip, and tried to force myself to be honest, short-circuiting any attempt to overthink it. "N-not fully. I didn't see her as a threat, really. I mean... I might not have my powers, but I can still fight really well. I did take the fireproofing potion, just in case. I ended up not needing it, I kinda... I kinda avoided her flames on instinct and took her down easily enough when she turned into a nirik anyway."

Celestia and Mom traded another meaningful glance. Mom gave me a little squeeze. "Were you harmed?"

I scoffed. "I mean, eventually she busted my lip with a lucky shot, but it's already healed. Nothing I don't get whenever I train with Dash over in the human world. And things went well past there! I think it turned out okay, overall. I actually had a lot of fun..."

Mom nuzzled me. "I am glad to hear it. And so, why do you feel you made a mistake?"

I sighed. "I was being kinda arrogant. And way too forceful, I-I think... if I could have stopped and explained myself to River better, I could have skipped some of the awkwardness at the start, and probably done things better. I got lucky that she's just understanding like that... and I also had to be kinda manipulative, using her own guilt against her. I also got lucky not getting hurt worse when I really ticked her off..."

Mom hummed, considering. "You're aware that any fight brings with it the risk of injury, are you not?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I guess I felt like it was a risk worth taking, since I didn't see another way to bring her around."

She rubbed my mane and smiled. "So you felt it was a necessary risk. It does sound like you've learned from the experience, and will be more tactful in the future, as well. I'm proud of you."

I spluttered. "But I messed up!"

Celestia snickered. "Everyone makes mistakes, Cozy. Punishments and discipline are meant to help a pony learn from those mistakes, but it sounds like you've already grasped the lesson from yours."

"That... makes sense, but..." I shook my head, trying to wrap my head around it. Celestia smirked at me, perching on the ground to get her head level closer to mine. Uh-oh. Here comes one of those tricky lessons.

"Cozy, I gather you decided to teach River martial arts for self-control. I have a question; why didn't you simply punish her?" I was confused, and she pressed on. "You are certainly capable of it, are you not? By the sounds of it, you could easily have hospitalized her, had you chosen to. Threatened to come back again, if she ever hurt her child again. Why didn't you?"

I was starting to see where she was going with this, but it still felt like a tough question. "That... wouldn't work. I mean, maybe? I guess it might, but... it didn't work on me in the long run, did it?"

That's when it clicked, and I froze in place. Celestia just watched me as I processed what I'd said and worked out something else to say. "I... I know punishment doesn't work, from experience. The only point to it is if there's literally no other way to get someone to stop. Fear doesn't last forever; it turns to hate, which just motivates even more problems."

Celestia nodded, a glint in her eyes. I groaned inwardly, knowing she'd gotten me good, as she started speaking again. "And given that it isn't effective, why would we seek to punish you for something you already want to improve on? It wouldn't make much sense, would it?"

I took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over me as I processed all of it. "Not really. I mean, while it's not exactly parenting, I guess I was doing the same kind of thing with River; trying to teach her something and fix her problems..."

Mom snickered, squeezing me gently with her wing. "While there are other aspects, such as protecting, providing for, and supporting one's children that go with parenting, a great deal of it is simple mentorship and guidance."

I leaned into Mom, closing my eyes and resting a moment as I thought it over. "I guess I see that, now. I did learn a lot about parents and kids hanging out with River and Pine these past few days."

Mom's voice came to me as I felt her hoof brush through my mane. "I am unsurprised! You are quite observant."

I heard Celestia hum in thought before speaking. "I imagine their relationship was quite different from yours with Luna."

I thought back, considering that, and I opened my eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it really was. Pine's not..." How to put this tactfully? "... Pine's more of a kid than I am? I guess?"

Mom snorted. "You mean he is immature?"

I groaned. "I don't wanna be mean about it. He's just, uhh... a lot more carefree, and doesn't think things through as much. I don't think that's a bad thing... it just seems like he hasn't had a lot of bad stuff happen to him, so he hasn't really had a reason to be all that careful. River has to be, umm... I guess she has to be a bit more strict with him, a lot of the time, especially whenever he's trying something new."

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. "It doesn't sound as though you disapprove of that, though."

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, I maybe would have, if I'd only seen it from the outside. But that colt can get way too rambunctious. I thought I was being reckless with the way I taught River, but Pine takes it to a new level. Trying to teach him martial arts was really hard, because he kept getting over-excited and going crazy. He ended up hurting River a couple times in practice, and he got himself hurt a few times, too."

Celestia smirked at that. "He does sound like a playful, if overzealous, foal. How did River handle it?"

I scoffed. "That's the thing. Since I was the instructor, she was deferring to me. But I'd seen how she handled it when he got over-excited, so I took her example and sat him down for a while, let him cool off, and I... well, I tried to teach him the way I was taught. Focus on control, and keep your mind on learning, not winning, because we're there to learn, not score 'points'."

Mom let go of me and stood up, and we began the walk home as I kept talking. "That stuff didn't work for him as well as it did for me, though... I ended up just focusing on teaching him breathing exercises. He'd gone nirik when he got really frustrated, so we focused on learning to spot the signs of anger getting too high, and how to stop yourself short when that's happening. Just breathe, y'know? That seemed to work a lot better for him, once he got the idea."

Celestia nodded. "I've often been reminded of a simple lesson, easy to forget; how you teach a pony depends on the pony. Everyone is different, so teaching methods must accommodate that. Trying to force somepony to learn the same way as others will just make them miserable."

"Huh." I took that in and considered it. "I guess I ended up figuring that out more on instinct than anything. It's not that different from manipulating somepony, though; you have to think about how they think, what they care about. That sorta thing."

Celestia smiled at me with that glint in her eye again, and I realized I'd completed her thesis for her. It took me a second, and then I facehoofed.

"That's the idea, isn't it? Parenting is largely about teaching, and teaching needs to adapt to the pony in question, so parenting does too. Ugh, it's so obvious!"

Mom laughed and nudged me gently as we walked. "Many things are obvious in retrospect, but obscure on first consideration."

I shook my head with a smirk. "You two are too much."

Celestia took on a mischievous grin. "Feeling a bit dunked on?"

I gawped at her, and both she and Mom broke out into a fit of laughter. It took me a second, but I soon joined in. Once we'd collected ourselves, I looked up at Celestia curiously.

"So I guess your point is that I've had the wrong sort of idea about... well, about Mom and I?"

Celestia started slightly. Ah, she didn't think I'd dig that far into it...

She cleared her throat. "Well, it does seem that may be the case..."

I glanced at Mom, who seemed a little uncomfortable. I pressed into her slightly, and did my best to seem inquisitive instead of worried.

"How do you think of it?"

Mom cleared her throat, considering it for a few moments. "I'd say we are... partners. We're both working towards your growth and maturity, and we are family. We both care for each other's well-being. If I must reprimand or correct you, it is only out of that concern."

I chewed that over, considering it. "That sounds like how I used to see things, back when we first met. I guess I've let... well, everything that's been going on get in the way of that."

I saw a look of pain flash across Mom's face before she collected herself. She looked at me as warmly as she could, under the circumstances. "I just do not wish for you to be afraid of me. Or afraid of losing me. We are in this together."

I pressed into her, wanting to somehow burn out her doubts, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. I took a deep breath. "I'll try. I g-guess I've just gotten to a point where..." I hate this mushy stuff. But it's the truth! And it's what I need to say!. "... the point where I can't handle losing you. I just, just can't."

I felt her wing wrap around me again, and we just walked in silence for a few moments before she responded. "I know, Cozy. I feel much the same. But if we let those concerns prevent us from being ourselves around each other, then we lose the very relationship we are trying to protect."

I let that sink in as we walked. Eventually, Celestia cleared her throat and perked up. "On a lighter note, how did things ultimately go for River and Pine?"

I perked up as well, eager to get out of my own head. "Oh, pretty great, actually! Even when Pine went nirik again, River kept her cool and we got it under control, just like I'd shown her. And by the time I left, it seemed like both of them were really getting their feelings under control. I guess it was good for me, too... I almost lost my patience a few times, so by the time I left I really got how hard that can be to deal with. Autumn Blaze was pretty great, too! She was a blast to hang out with. I promised all three of them I'd start writing after I got home."

Mom grinned. "Look at you, making friends wherever you go."

I restrained a scoff, and then thought better of it. Just be yourself, right? Come on... I rolled my eyes at her. "Well, y'know, I need some kirin for my inevitable takeover. Those villages won't burn themselves down."

Mom's eyes shot wide in surprise, and after a moment she grinned at me. "Ahh, so that is the real reason for the martial-arts training. I knew all of that 'self-control' stuff must be nonsense."

I giggled. "Kirin are like unicorns, except with more destructive potential! It's perfect. Now I just need to get enough of them together to keep things warm after the windigoes show up, and my plan will really have legs."

Mom quirked an eyebrow. "But how will you keep them angry enough to keep the winter at bay?"

I laughed. "That's what I'll keep Pinkie around for! I'll just bribe her with sweets to annoy them constantly. Pretty sure that's fool-proof."

All three of us looked around, expectantly. Nothing happened. Celestia frowned.

"Honestly, I thought for certain—"

"Right? It seemed like perfect timing."

All three of us shared a laugh at that.

Enough

View Online

I cackled manically, my cape billowing in the wind.

"There is no escape, Trixie! Your days of being great and powerful end now!"

Trixie struggled in her straitjacket as she was lowered towards the whirring sawblades, the audience gasping in shock. The fact that she was upside down, suspended by nothing more than a thin hook from a crane, added to the suspense. As the straitjacket started to tear free from the hook, the audience gasped in horror, and I belted out another maniacal laugh and flailed uncontrollably.

"With you out of the way, there will be no one to stop the Mad Magician Cozy Glow from conquering Equestria's stage-magic scene, and soon, Equestria itself!"

"You'll never win, Mad Magician! You've forgotten a vital fact about Trixie!"

Just as the straitjacket tore free from the crane, Trixie sprang free from it and disappeared in a blast of smoke. I yelled in alarm and ran up, examining the sawblades that had been under her, consternation clearly writ on my face. Trixie's voice rang out behind me.

"Trixie... always has something up her new sleeves!" She gestured with her new coat at the audience, and then bucked me towards the sawblades. To all outward appearance, I turned into a cloud of bats and flew off into the sky, crying 'Curse you, Trixie Lulamoon! The Mad Magician shall have her revenge!', and then the curtains dropped to roaring applause.

Behind the curtain, Trixie and I shared a hoofbump and a laugh. She pranced a bit in place.

"Can you believe the turnout?! Trixie has not seen a crowd like this in years!"

I hoofpumped. "That dual-act idea really paid off! We'll have to think of some way to take things even further next time."

Trixie snickered as we started to make our way out from around the stage. "Well, Trixie does recall you saying something about using alchemy..."

I jumped slightly. "I thought you didn't want that stuff anywhere near your magic equipment, though!"

Trixie gave a shrug. "That was back when you were just an apprentice. Now that we've done a double-act, Trixie feels confident enough in your skills to... explore new options. Even if you remain the junior partner."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, I only started practicing, what, a moon ago? Of course I'm still learning."

Trixie snickered and swatted me with her tail. "Careful, now. That kind of humility doesn't fit for Great and Powerful magicians such as we!"

I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated 'oh, you' expression, waving a hoof at her. "Whatever you say, Trixie. See you tomorrow for practice?"

"Naturally. See you then, Mad Magician."

As Trixie strode off, I took to the sky, trying to ignore the strain in my wings as I alighted on a nearby cloud. It does feel weird to be playing the role of a super-villain, even for fun.

"Hey, Cozy! Awesome show!"

I looked over to see a familiar rainbow-maned pegasus hovering next to my cloud, smiling at me somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh, hey, Dash. I didn't know you were watching!"

Dash gave a small shrug, alighting on the cloud next to me and settling in as we drifted back towards Ponyville proper. "Oh, I was watching from the air. Sitting still too long can make me antsy."

I snorted. "Oh, right. I remember you talking about that when you were in the hospital."

Dash leaned back and fixed me with a quizzical look, and I facehoofed. "Right, sorry, other timeline. We haven't really spoken since then, so I'm still sorting that out."

Dash frowned. "Hey, uh... sorry I haven't been around. I guess I had a lot of complicated feel—er, ideas about you, and then I just let it kinda slip away from me, y'know? It got kinda awkward."

I shook my head vehemently. "There's nothing to be sorry for! I'm the one who caused trouble. You don't owe me anything, y'know."

Dash laughed at that, confusing me. "I know that, Cozy. It's not a matter of what I owe somepony or whatever, it's just, like, what's right, I guess. Yeah, you did rotten stuff, but I also didn't manage to teach you better, right? And like, what good am I doing by avoiding you?" She gave a shrug. "I dunno, it just felt crummy of me. You were friends with me in that other timeline, right? It's not fair to you to have gone and made friends with me once, and then just have that yanked from under you and not even get another chance with me because I'm, y'know, awkward about this stuff."

I tried to process that. I failed. "Uhh... maybe I need more lessons, but that feels like it doesn't make any sense to me. Why should you care that I was friends with another you?"

Dash blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. "I dunno if I can even really explain it, but I mean, it probably felt pretty awful for you, right?"

I hitched at that. "Well... yeah? But that's not your problem."

Dash fluttered her wings in annoyance, though I could tell it was more with herself than with me. "Yeah, well, it feels like my problem. Any time somepony feels like I let them down or didn't have their back, it feels like it's my problem."

"But I wasn't—I mean, I never felt like you let me down! I understand it would be unfair to expect you to just... roll with some friendship I made in another world."

Dash snorted and tapped me with a hoof. "Let me put it this way. If you're friends with Rainbow Dash, you're friends with Rainbow Dash, simple enough. Any world, any time, whatever's going on, you should know I have your back. And it sounds like we really were friends, so, that's that."

I gawped, trying to process that. "But that doesn't make sense! I—"

Dash silenced me with a hoof to my lips, and gave me a much more intense look than I associated with her. "So, Cozy... question. Let's say nopony at all remembered you when you came back. I mean nopony. Then you found out Luna was in trouble. Tell me...

Would you help her?"

I froze on the spot, like my train of thought had just crashed into a wall. I stammered for a moment before taking a deep breath and forcing myself to speak.

"O-of course. I mean, obviously! Of course I would!"

"And if you didn't remember her, but she remembered you, would you want that you to still help her? If you could somehow, I dunno, fling a memory into the future or whatever? Sorry, I know that's really weird—"

"Yes! Yes, of course! Don't worry, I get it!"

Dash sighed in relief and rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, okay. Cool. Good. I didn't know if it would make much sense that way, haha!" She fluttered her wings again as she laughed. "I'm not the best at explaining that sort of thing, but that's how I feel. There was some me that wouldn't ever want me to forget about you, so, I'm not going to. Simple as that."

I laughed, shaking my head. "It's so simple, but it's so weird. Like how do you even explain the reasoning behind that?"

Dash guffawed. "Right?! Sometimes, if you can't figure out the precise way to explain something, it's best to just kinda roll with it. I'm sure Twilight would come up with something if I asked, but like... I don't feel like that's as important as conveying the feeling of it, anyway. Well, that's just me."

I guess, when Discord wanted to convince me I was wrong, he didn't just reason with me. He also impressed on me the importance of it all. Is that because I was irrational?

Well I was definitely that.

I shrugged. "I don't think that's a problem. And thanks for coming to see the show; I'm really glad you liked it."

Dash nodded vigorously. "Seriously! I actually dove in to catch Trixie when she fell towards the saws. I ended up getting an angle where I could see the trick, though, heh. Sorry."

I groaned. "Seriously? Dangit. We need better awnings for that stage..."

Dash shrugged and gave me a playful swat on the shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it. It didn't make me appreciate the show any less. Kinda the opposite, actually; I can't believe it looks so realistic from the front!"

I snickered. "Forced perspective and layered backgrounds do some interesting stuff to how we see things."

Dash glanced up in the sky, rubbing her chin,. "Y'know, I wonder if the 'bolts could work some of that stuff into their show..."

My eyes lit up. "Oh, definitely! Because you guys perform most of your tricks above the audience, there's a predictable angle of view, which you can exploit in all sorts of ways! Like, look, I can show you what I mean!"

I took off, and Dash followed as I gathered together some clouds. I started shaping them and positioning them, making some of them concave and others convex relative to the ground. Once I'd finished lining them up, I led her to a specific point under the clouds and pointed up.

"Okay, see the illusion?"

Dash's eyes bugged out. "Whoa. It looks like they're all lined up, and if you moved that front one out of the way..."

"It would look like the one behind it suddenly got closer! Yeah! This is a really basic trick, but you can do all kinds of crazy stuff with simple tricks like this."

I was panting pretty hard from the flight, and I struggled to get back on the cloud we'd started on. I strained to get my wings folded again, and Dash looked seriously concerned when she landed next to me.

"Uh, Cozy? Are you alright?"

I panted and tried to stretch the cramps out of my wings. They just couldn't sit comfortably! "Yeah, I'm okay. My wings have just been really stiff lately."

Dash looked over my wings, a deep frown on her face. "I heard you had the crystal thing going on, but was it this bad before?"

I glanced at my wings. The crystallization had spread; every individual wing now had at least a little seam running through it, and several of my inner feathers were entirely encased now. The crystal was flexible enough that I could still move my wings, but there was a definite sense of strain to flying, now.

"No, it's been getting worse. Nopony's really sure why. Celestia's been pretty adamant nopony try to remove it; I tried preening one of the worst features off, and it hurt like crazy. She thinks it will get better, eventually, but I dunno..."

Dash winced. "W-well, she usually knows what she's talking about, right? She wouldn't just leave it if it was dangerous, right?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do trust her, and all. I just wish it didn't give me so much trouble flying, is all."

Dash considered that for a moment. "Do you know how to do proper wing stretches and exercises?"

I laughed. "Yeah, of course! You showed me!"

That got a facehoof out of her. "Of course I did! Well, have you been doing them?"

I frowned. "Not since I got back. I guess it would be a good idea to try, see if I can work this out..."

We both set off for the ground, and started going through the entire routine. A few wing-ups, some cloud-juggling, flexibility exercises – it was all harder than it should be, but I was getting through it. Then we came to the wingpower test.

Dash held me in place. "Okay, remember to angle so you 'fly' into the ground." I nodded. "Well, go ahead when you're ready, then."

I revved my wings, as hard as I could; the wingflaps were coming out much slower than the buzz I'd become used to, with each individual wingbeat feeling heavy and forceful, like I was bucking a tree. I could feel Dash straining to hold me in place.

"Well, your wingpower's not bad, but you're not angling it right." She grunted with effort as we slid aside a little bit, and I tried to angle my wings even farther up, to force myself further down.

"Sorry, Dash, I'm trying!"

Dash just nodded. "Yeah, I can see you've got a flexibility prob—OUCH! What the hay?!"

She dropped me and staggered, sucking on one of her hooves. I forced my wings closed with a wince and looked up at her in alarm. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Dash nodded, and removed her hoof and shook it irritably. "You shocked me! Were you trying to make a contrail, or something?"

I balked. "Do what now? I never learned how to make contrails!"

Dash cocked her head. "Seriously...?" She glanced upwards, then pointed her hoof there. "I want you to try flying, as fast as you can, in a tight circle. Maybe you're making contrails accidentally, or something."

I sighed and forced my wings back open, and took back to the air. I'm grateful for her help, but this is starting to really hurt. I started flying in a circle, but soon I heard her tutting from the ground.

"You've got to go a lot faster, Cozy! You should be beating your wings as hard as possible!"

I groaned and widened my circle; I didn't have the control to maintain any kind of tight circle at high-speed flight with my wings as stiff as they were. I felt myself start to pull forward, gaining speed, and I forced my wings to keep slamming against the air. The force of each beat rattled my jaw in my head, sent lances of pain up my spine, but I kept it up, until I'd hit my maximum speed. I just couldn't force any more power out of my wings.

It took me a couple of laps flying that way before I heard Dash calling me, and I gratefully descended, barely able to glide effectively. My wings felt like they were going to snap off, and I almost crashed; as it was, I staggered on landing and got a good face-plant for my efforts. I groaned, and strained to close my wings, but couldn't convince them to fold up. As I dragged myself up to my hooves, Dash ran up to me with clear concern on her face.

"Cozy, how were you doing that?"

I reached over with a hoof and tried to slowly massage one of my wings into closing. "Doing what? Flying really slow?"

Dash rolled her eyes. "No, not that! The sparks, and electricity, or whatever that stuff was!"

I was still struggling with my wing while I stared at her. "What the hay are you talking about? I didn't see anything like that."

Dash shook her head. "Every time you flapped your wings at full strength, you were shooting out these black, like... arcs. It was creepy. I was yelling at you to stop, but I don't think you could hear me over all of that."

I thought back and remembered some kind of weird noise as I was flying, but I'd chalked it up to the wind-rush. Plus, I was so fixated on blocking out the pain in my wings...

I shook my head. "I have no idea what that was, sorry. I didn't even know it was happening."

Dash frowned. "Well, you just make sure to show your mom, okay? And, if you want any help learning to get your pegasus magic or whatever under control, just let me know. I'm not really an expert on the theory of all that stuff, but I'm sure we can work through it all together."

I nodded gratefully as I finally massaged my wings closed. "Thanks, Dash. I think I'll need it."

Dash looked around awkwardly, and brushed the back of her mane again. "So, uhh... sun's about to go down, and I was going to see if you wanted to go for a little flight together, but given the circumstances, uhh... you wanna grab a bite to eat? I'll cover it."

We put on the show close to dusk so visibility would be a little more poor...

"Yeah, that sounds good to me. Thanks, Dash!"

She just smiled and shrugged, and we set off for Ponyville. She chewed her lip over for a minute before hitting on a topic of conversation.

"So, that magic show was really cool. You thinking of getting into that whole thing professionally?"

I shook my head with a laugh. "Heck no, it's just a hobby. It kinda reminds me of super heroics, y'know? Even though I'm playing a villain. Costumes, dramatic speeches, putting on a show, that sorta thing. It's nice. Plus, I'm picking up a lot of useful skills."

Dash nodded along. "Right, right... you wanted to be a hero again. I'd heard about that. I do find it kinda weird, though..."

I looked up at her in surprise. "You find it weird? Isn't heroing, like, your thing?"

Dash laughed uneasily. "Yeah, okay, sure, but that just sorta happens. Ponies need help and I go help them. It's not like I put on a costume and go look for trouble, though that is pretty cool. I guess I just find it a little weird, because it seems like you're sorta... fitting in, already? I dunno. I figured after the whole thing with the kirin village, maybe you'd changed focus."

I huffed. "Well... sorta, but that doesn't mean I've given up on being a hero. I want to help people. I want to do something."

Dash looked over at me quizzically. "Well, you did help those kirin, though. And you've definitely made Luna and Celestia happier, even I can see that. Isn't that enough?"

I frowned, and I thought it over in silence for a while before I responded. "It's not like I'm unhappy or anything... I just don't want to decide I'm satisfied and stop trying to do more. What would be the point of that?"

Dash walked in silence for a few moments, thinking it over herself. "I guess, uh... what I want to know is, what is it that's bugging you so much? Like, you say you want to be a hero, is that just how you want to be, or is there, like... some sorta reason?"

I huffed and adjusted my throbbing wings. "I don't know! It's just... like, if the map hadn't sent me, what would have happened with River and Pine? How many other ponies are there out there like that? How many more ponies out there are in trouble like I was with Bree? What if somepony is like I was out there in the woods," I pointed to the Everfree Forest, "and they don't have a Sunset Shimmer in their lives to help them back out of it?"

Dash looked at me in surprise. She studied me with a neutral expression, making me distinctly uncomfortable, and then nodded. "Okay."

I was a little thrown by that. "Huh?"

Dash shrugged as she looked back forward and we continued on. "Okay. That makes sense to me."

I scoffed. "That makes one of us... I can't figure out how I feel about it all myself."

Dash smirked at me. "Well, it's not that different from what I described earlier, right? I want to be there for my friends, even if they're not exactly my friends. You want to make sure that whenever there's somepony in the same situation you were in, there's somepony to answer the call. It's like... I dunno, it's like a promise we make. Or a decision, or whatever." She shrugged. "Don't know what to call it, but I get it. I think it's a good thing for you to work towards, and if I can help out, just let me know."

I was stunned silent by that. She really understands how I feel, even if I don't...? It seems like it just clicks for her.

How can she be so comfortable in her own skin like that? Can I be like that, too?

At length, I smiled back at her, and nodded.

"Thanks, Dash."

No Moping During Chill Time 2

View Online

"I'm merely stating that your abstract style of writing and discussion may make it harder for a student to grasp the applications of your ideas."

Musashi grunted in annoyance as he adjusted my katana stance, shooting a quick glance at Sun Tzu in the process.

"So to say it would be far better to provide instruction on army movement and simply hope that the student recognizes the broader strategic meaning of such things?"

I took an experimental swing of the katana as Sun Tzu rolled his eyes. "The human mind – or pony mind, for that matter – cannot help but wander, to see the commonality in all things. Illustrate the value of a lesson in clear terms, and the student will grow to the point of teaching that lesson in time."

Musashi gave up assisting me altogether, taking a few steps to the side and leaving me to my own devices as I tried to perfect the cut he'd shown me. "That is simply untrue in any case where a single concrete idea may be extrapolated to many abstract ones! Who knows what sorts of frameworks a single tactic might lead to, if the student is not guided on the correct course of thinking?"

I sighed as I kept practicing. Should've known better than to put two philosophers in a room together.

Sun Tzu held up a hand and shook his head. "And who among us can say your particular ideal of abstract strategy is the best-suited to a student's life? Teach the lessons, allow them to apply their own thinking."

"That statement is part of my lesson! Teaching a student to learn is part of my instruction!"

I groaned. "Guys, still need instruction over here..."

Sun Tzu shook his head at Musashi. "And how is a student to learn how to fell an army with your sword metaphors? How does telling them to 'strike to the face or to the heart' lend itself to clear battlefield strategy?"

Musashi bristled at that, folding his arms and applying a frown so deep it could dim the lights at a carnival. "You think far too little of our students, Sun. Clearly, the goal is to either strip the foe of coordination or strength; thus—"

Mom cleared her throat loudly, causing all three of us to turn to look at her. I was still holding my katana in a relaxed pose to practice the flash-cut technique.

Mom looked between all three of us, before finally settling on me.

"Who are these two? Why are you a human?"

I laughed uncomfortably as the two master strategists disappeared in a puff of dream logic. "Oh, umm, I was just trying out some of those lucid dreaming techniques I was reading about. I figured I could get some more combat practice in while I slept, but, uhh... it didn't go great."

Mom snorted and trotted up to me. I hadn't noticed when I turned back into my usual form, but I trotted up to her in turn and we had a quick nuzzle. She smiled at me.

"It does lift my spirits to see you take an interest in such things as lucid dreaming. I'm afraid that, when starting out, the mind does still have a tendency to wander."

I smiled back, then cocked my head. "Hey, why are you here? I'm not having a nightmare tonight."

She smirked. "So I'd noticed. I suppose that is why you've been practicing?"

I shuddered in recollection of some of the nastier dreams she'd had to help me with in the past. "Yeah... I figured this was better than just relying on you to deal with them."

She shrugged and patted my head. "It's been some time since you last had one. I am glad to see things have improved so much for you. As to why I am here, I thought... well." She flushed slightly and smiled. "I wanted to ask if you would like to accompany me for an evening."

My eyes widened. "You mean dreamwalk with you? Fight nightmares together?"

Mom's smile became uneasy. "I-I understand if it's not precisely to your interest; you can resume your training—"

"No! No, let's totally go and do that! That sounds great!"

Mom seemed somewhat taken aback, but certainly happy about the turn of events. "Ah, I did not realize you had such interest! We can get started immediately!"

It wasn't the first time Mom had pulled me out of a dream, so I stayed calm during the familiar transition to the dream 'hub' she used. I just giggled at her. "Of course I'm interested! It's a way to help ponies and drive off their fears – it's basically super heroics that I can still do!"

Mom's blush got deeper at that. "Oh, I don't know if I would go that far—"

I laid a hoof on her shoulder and looked at her seriously. "I remember how important it was to me when you helped me. Don't sell it short. Besides," I gave her an affectionate bump, "it's a way to spend more time with you."

She just sighed contentedly as we journeyed out into the hub world in search of our first nightmare.

As we skimmed through the various dreams of slumbering ponies, I regarded my daughter discreetly. It had been some time since I had last visited her in dreams, and much had changed.

She was happy, energetic, practically glowing. Her wings had taken on flowing pattern of rainbow energy, and she seemed to have not even noticed.

That terrible black crystal that burdens her in the waking world does not seem to have penetrated into this place. Perhaps sister is right, and it will pass in time?

It lifted my spirits, at any rate. Still, it was with some trepidation that I found our first nightmare and we began our venture into it.

All may appear well so far, but there's no telling how she will react to stress...

And yet, to my surprise, she seemed even more optimistic and upbeat as we dove into our task. A bold declaration of 'Fear not, the Nightmare Patrol is here!' greeted several nightmare-addled ponies, followed inevitably by a spectacular entrance. While far removed from my typical style of doing things, the heroic bombast she displayed had its own charm.

More than once, she chose to actively fight with monsters from ponies' nightmares rather than let me simply dismiss them; she claimed this was to help the pony get over their fears, but I strongly suspected she was simply having fun.

By the time we were finished, I was far more exhausted than I would be from a typical evening, but I couldn't suppress my grin, either. Cozy, for her part, was borderline manic.

"Did you see how I took down that manticore-slime-thing?! Oh dang I wish Dash had seen that! There's gotta be some way to do some sort of dream replay thing for her, right?!"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "You know dream magic is far too temperamental for such trivial applications, dear."

Cozy snorted. "I bet Dash would agree on the importance of it."

I suppressed a snort of my own. "Likely so."

I yawned, prompting a concerned look from Cozy. "Time to call it quits for the night?"

I nodded. "I'm afraid so. I enjoyed this greatly, however. We should do it again soon."

"Totally! Just let me know!"

With that, we parted ways; Cozy returned to her own dream world (with a 'Good night, Mom'), soon to wake, while I gently settled into my preferred dreamscape for rest.

I must remember to thank my sister. Cozy seems so much more at ease, now. I suppose her wings aren't nearly the threat to her wellbeing as I believed.

With that, I fell into a happy, peaceful slumber.

I trotted back into the training room I'd put together for my katana exercises earlier with a big grin on my face.

"Did you have fun with mom?"

I grinned at the living shadow in the corner of the room, which coalesced into a dark mirror of myself and approached.

"I really did! I think we made the right call, splitting up for the evening like this."

The shadow looked downcast. "Well, I'm just your useless baggage from before, so obviously things go better when I'm not around."

I quirked an eyebrow and tapped my chin with a hoof. "I don't think that's really true, y'know? I don't think I could have gotten this far without you. But it's probably best not to drag Mom into it, is all."

The shadow paused for a few moments, considering. "Am I really a part of you that keeps you safe or drives you forward... or just the part that holds you back?"

I woke up with a start.

Search and Rescue

View Online

I coughed violently and pulled my head out of the rubble I'd been poking into. I probed my mask with my hooves and found where it had gotten loose, and secured it.

Stupid thing...

I took a deep, sharp breath once I'd cleared my airways.

"Can anyone hear me?! Search and rescue! If anypony is there, please respond!"

I'd done some search and rescue as Quillon before, but lacking my magic or fully-functional wings was making it a lot tougher.

Still, I had some new tricks up my sleeves.

I pulled a small vial out of one of my sleeves, and drabbed some fresh oil under my eyes. My vision went hazy, but I could vaguely make out a glowing, white outline underneath a collapsed house. I grinned to myself.

The problem with magic is it makes ponies complacent – even me! Having to explore new solutions makes all the difference.

I dug into the rubble, shoving aside beams and roof slats, careful not to disrupt the structure and cause more of a collapse. It took me a couple of minutes, and I heard zaps and explosions in the distance that told me that Twilight and her friends hadn't taken care of the monster, yet. I fought the reflex to jump into the fray.

Gotta stick to what I can do right now. I didn't come here to fight, I came here for THIS.

I carefully hauled a chunk of stone wall off of the pony. He was a grown stallion with a mint-green coat and white hair, and judging by the discoloration on his head, he'd gotten hit hard when the building had come down. I instinctively checked his breathing, even though I knew the glow I saw around him meant he still had to be alive.

Okay... concussion, maybe a fracture. I've got stuff for that...

I dug in my saddlebag and pulled out some first-aid alchemy, applying it. Once I'd finished, I kept gingerly removing rubble from him and looking for injuries.

Ooooh pony, our legs don't bend that way. Okay, okay, okay, keep calm. I've got to keep calm, or I'll make it worse. Focus, Cozy.

I knew I was the only pony searching this sector, so I did my best to splint up his leg and make sure he was safe to move on my own. I gently laid him on the rolling stretcher I'd brought with me and began slowly pulling him out of the area. As soon as I laid eyes on another pair of rescue ponies, I called out to them, and they flew the injured stallion to our basecamp on the edge of town.

"Phew. Alright, gotta go find the next one."

I felt a tap on my withers that almost made me jump out of my coat. I looked over to see a dark-blue stallion wearing a hardhat and a rescue-pony vest.

"Hey, my partner is busy administering first-aid to our most recent pickup at the camp. Team up?"

I nodded. "I'm checking the collapsed houses on the east side, so follow me. I can spot trapped ponies under the rubble, but I'm slow on extracting them by myself."

He nodded and we set off. He glanced at me curiously as he saw me dabbing more of that poultice under my eyes.

"What is that stuff?"

"Uhh, it's a modified Clover's Cat-Eye Blend #2. It doesn't seem to work for anypony else, but it works for me. I can't see too well with it on, though, except for living stuff."

He chewed his lip on that while we started inspecting the first collapsed building – looked like it was a pub – and finally spoke up once I'd declared it was clear of survivors.

"Is that, uh... is that because of your weird wings, or something?"

I shrugged as we walked. "Probably. We're still not really sure what's going on with that, but I'm just doing the best I—look out!"

The ground shook from another explosion, and a nearby stone wall tipped over towards my partner. I reflexively jumped at it and blocked it with a wing and a kick, beating my opposite wing as hard as I could to drive it away from him, and managed to rotate its fall so it landed in front of him, instead. I dropped somewhat clumsily to the ground and folded my wings back up with some effort.

Stupid, I don't have my crazy strength or wing power anymore...

The stallion whistled. "I was going to say you seemed a little young for this kind of work, but I can see why you're here, now. Thanks."

I laughed as we cantered to the next building, conserving our energy. "Yeah, well, some ponies probably would feel that way. But I didn't ask them, so."

He snorted as I began analyzing the toppled-over house. "You didn't tell your parents you were rushing to a disaster-site?"

"I left a note for my mom. She'll understand. Uhh... hmm, I think something's still in here. It's faint."

"Where?"

I directed him to a section of caved-in roof, and we set to work. I was easily able to prop things up with my wings, which worked well with his neck and hoof strength, able to nose or shove things around, and soon we'd unearthed a terrified-looking foal. The stallion's eyes softened.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Are you hurt? We're here to get you someplace safe."

The foal glanced between us. I gave my most winning Quillon smile. She slowly took in a breath and spoke.

"Umm... I'm okay, I think. I just, uhh... where's my mom?"

I cut in quickly. "She's probably back at our camp. That's where everypony is evacuating to. Come with us, we'll take you there!"

The stallion lowered his head, and the foal slowly climbed up on his back. We'd just finished trudging out of the ruins when I heard a rustle from a nearby copse of trees that sent a chill up my spine. I glanced at my partner.

"Did you hear that?"

He glanced over at the trees. "Yeah. What's wrong?"

I squinted at the copse. "I don't know... wait. What made that noise? I don't see anything living in—oh no. Run for the basecamp!"

I ran between the stallion and the treeline, fanning out my wings in a threat display and hoping my guess was wrong – a hope which lasted only a moment before an unliving, pony-like mass of twigs and rocks stumbled out of the shrubs, looking at me with glowing green eye sockets. I glanced at my partner, but he had already started running, and called back, 'I'll send help!'

"Good!"

The golem stared at me, and I glared back. I took a slow, measured breath, and adjusted my stance.

Okay, Cozy. You knew these things were causing trouble here, but nopony knows how to fight them, yet. Just stay calm. It's clearly powered by magic, so maybe—

The golem cocked its head, and a raspy voice emitted from it. "Your camp. Where is it?"

I recoiled my head very slightly in surprise, but did my best to take it in stride. Just need to buy time!

Don't get into unnecessary fights!

"Camp? What camp?"

"Your... camp. You said that everypony was at camp. Where is it?"

So it eavesdropped on me. Keep it talking!

"Well, uh, in the coordinates are West 1B, North 3A, relative to here."

"What... coordinates are those?"

"Uh, y'know, it's, uh, it's hexadecimal, and measured in, uh, ten-meter increments?" I smiled as innocently as I could.

I'm more used to trash-talking monsters at this point than trying to lie on the spot.

The golem took a step closer to me, and I pointed in the wrong direction. "It's that way! Uhh, you just need to cross the river at the ford and follow the old woodland trail!"

Is there even a woodland trail here? Whatever!

"Your... partner. Ran in the other direction. You are lying."

I set my hoof down and we had a brief stare-off. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Buck it. Yeah, I'm lying, so what?"

The golem suddenly lurched forward, swift as a panther (though without any of the associated grace), and I instinctively snapped a wing out in defense. I'd expected to deflect the creature, but the extra weight and rigidity of the crystals on my wings made it more like a sledgehammer meeting a stone wall.

I felt my stomach turn upside down as I felt a cracking sensation run through my wing, but my attention was more focused on the golem, which was smashed backwards and went tumbling until it crashed into a tree.

Whoa. That hit HARD. But what about my wing? Did I break it?!

I glanced at my wing, expecting to see a sickening split in it, but instead I caught just the barest hint of rainbow light shining from a hairline crack before it sealed up before my very eyes. I gave the wing an experimental stretch, but it seemed fine.

Huh... well, okay then!

I grinned and set myself into a battle posture, practically snarling at the golem. "Yeah, that's what you get! Think you can just shove this pony around?! You picked a fight with the wrong hero, sucker! Now—GAH!"

I'd been mid-monologue when the golem, still crumpled against the tree, and suddenly bounded off of it in a distinctly unnatural, un-pony-like fashion. It rotated in midair and its jaw opened wide enough to bite off my entire head.

I barely had time to jump back, giving my wings a powerful beat to gain more backward speed, and I watched black arcs of energy lance out of them to fry the entire area I'd just been in – blasting pieces off of the golem and scorching it. I landed and almost lost my footing as pain lanced through my wings.

Ugh – I'm definitely pushing it! I'm not in condition for a prolonged face-to-face fight against something that doesn't even feel pain or fear!

I racked my brain and dropped my saddlebags, pulling out one of Trixie's smokebombs and slamming it into the ground. I carefully moved, silently, behind some rubble and listened. The golem took slow, heavy steps into the smoke, but it didn't seem to know where I was.

Okay, so it relies on sight... small favors. That bought a little time, so what now? Think! It relies on magic, and its footsteps are irregular, so I injured it just now – I might be able to outrun it, or maybe I have something in here that can disrupt its magic...

There's no point in speculating on that! This isn't a lab where you can test ways to disrupt some unknown spell! Just run!

I hesitated for a moment, then I remembered the structures we'd passed on our way here. An idea struck me, and I bolted from the smoke. I glanced back to see the golem stumbling after me, and my heart leapt – only to sink right back down as I looked back forward and realized there were two more of the monsters cutting me off. I snarled as I diverted course for the center of the village.

TWILIGHT! DAMNIT, THIS PART WAS YOUR JOB! ARGH!

The golems were hot on my heels in moments, and I barely sidestepped a lunge. I realized my top speed couldn't keep me away from them, and I wouldn't make it to where I was headed at this rate, so I jumped and beat my wings to gain the height to climb up on a nearby section of standing wall. I hissed down at the golems, who were already pounding at the base of the wall.

"Oh, you really want a piece of this, huh? FINE! I'LL TAKE YOU BOTH ON!"

I jumped backwards, beat my wings to launch me into the back of the wall, and kicked as hard as I could. The golems had already beaten a chunk out of the base of the wall, and my kick to the top caused that segment to give way, sending the wall crashing down on them. One of the golems was smashed to pieces beneath it, but I saw the blur of the other as it darted out of the way.

I quickly looped around the ruin I was in and listened. The golem moved slowly, but not quietly enough. As soon as I heard it creep up near the corner I was hiding behind, I pulled another smoke bomb out of my sleeve and threw it around the corner – directly into the monster's face.

I heard a stumble, and leapt around the corner, snapping one of my wings out at where I'd heard its footsteps. I felt the connection as I pinned the creature to the wall, and I kept increasing the pressure as the smoke faded.

"Hahahaha! I've got you now!"

The golem's head rotated unnaturally to look at me while I crushed the rest of its body against the wall, and that same, annoying, stupid, weak raspy voice came out.

"Where is your camp?"

"WHEREVER PONIES GO WHEN THEY DIE! LET ME SHOW YOU!"

I strained as hard as I could with my wing, trying to pulverize the monster, to snap its feeble body with every ounce of strength I had. I even extended my other wing into the ground to give myself more of a platform to push with, but the more I strained with both wings, the more I realized my own body would give out from the pressure before the creature of stone and wood.

"Where is your—"

I screamed in rage at the creature and pulled out the emergency flare I'd kept on my belt. "Shut up! Shut up and DIE!"

I bit the cap off of the flare, causing the tip to burst into a brilliant, hot flame, and I strained my body to lean over until I could slam my hoof down on the golem's face, driving the flare into one of those haunting green eye sockets. I hesitated for a second as the creature's entire head lit up in a freakish orange glow, backlit by the bright flare.

The golem began struggling and vibrating violently, and I used the chance to spring away. It snapped its jaw and lashed out with its hooves, but it did so blindly. For a moment, I almost pounced on it to finish the job, before I suddenly realized I was wasting time.

Search and rescue! Search and rescue, Cozy! Go!

I whirled on my rear hooves and bolted, realizing with a thrill of terror that other ponies in the town – rescue ponies and survivors alike – might be running into these things. There wasn't any more time to search for survivors in the rubble, right now – they were actually the safest ones left in the town.

I forced my wings open and flew up to the top of a mostly-intact house near the center of town, and I closed my eyes, halted my breathing, and listened. Sure enough, I heard a distant cry of alarm – an older mare, by the sounds of it. I set off with everything I had.

Okay, what do you know about these things? They rely on sight, they're stupid, but fast, and they're very durable. They attack straight-on, but they can avoid danger if they see it coming. And they can hear you when you speak, so they're not deaf. Okay. Okay. I can work with this.

As I wove around the rubble, a thought dawned on me. They're not alive. That means the one speaking to me was the caster of the spell, not the actual golems. Which means they're listening for a reply, which means...

I grinned viciously as I rounded another house, and I saw a golem bearing down on a rescue-pony and an elderly mare. The rescue pony – a pegasus stallion – was squaring off with the creature, but he couldn't afford to take off, or the earth-pony mare would be defenseless. I dug out one of Trixie's most annoying inventions and ran straight for the golem.

"Hey! I'll tell you where our camp is if you leave them alone!"

That's right... focus your senses on this golem, caster...

The golem's head rotated to track me, and it cocked its head. "Where is it?"

I pulled out a map with my teeth, careful to hold Trixie's troublemaker with my hoof where the golem couldn't see it, and I flung the map down in front of me. "This is a map of the area, see? Come here, I'll show you."

The stallion looked between us as the golem approached me. "What are you doing?!"

I pointed at the map as the golem drew closer. "See, our camp is right... HERE!"

I leapt at the golem as its eyes fixed on the map, and I slammed the firecracker into its ear, yanking the ripcord to set it off at the same time. There was a sound like a bomb going off, followed by a high-pitched squeal of agony emitting from the golem, which staggered drunkenly.

The caster's concentration has to be maintained for the golems to remain coordinated! Now's my chance!

I pounced on the golem's back, hooking both forehooves around its neck and locking its head in a face-forward position. The golem tried to buck me off, but it was a weak and uncoordinated effort. As soon as we came down, I yanked upwards as hard as I could, and to my surprise its entire head came off with a pop like a bottle opening. I ended up tumbling backwards and landing on the dirt, golem-head still in my clutches and dazed.

Whoa. That, uh, that worked better than expected.

I slowly got up to my hooves and dropped the golem-head as I tried to shake my confusion off. I glanced at the rescue-pony, who seemed stunned by the whole ordeal, and I felt serious irritation run through me.

"What the buck are you still doing here?! TAKE HER OUT OF HERE, NOW, YOU IDIOT!"

That woke him up; the stallion whirled on his hooves and set off for camp alongside the mare. I rolled my eyes and rubbed some dirt off of my face before I suddenly felt pain lance up through my hoof.

"OWW! HEY—YOU?!"

I looked down to see the disembodied golem-skull gnawing on my hoof. White-hot rage went through me, and I stomped it as hard as I possibly could, smashing it to pieces. I actually stared at my own hoof in surprise.

Whoa. I've smashed rocks in practice before, but these things seemed a lot tougher – do they get weaker as they're more damaged, or is the spell disrupted, or...?

Not the time! Find the rest of the survivors and get them out of here!

My progress was slowed by my injuries and fatigue, but thankfully, the rest of the search went uneventfully. It turned out that mare was the last pony in the town – even the rescue-ponies had taken off when the golems had come back – and so I made my own way to camp, with a bit of a limp from where that dumb golem had bitten me.

Stupid, worthless, junk, golem... rrrrrgh. I should punch that caster right in the face for that!

When I got to the camp, it looked like things were in order. Ponies were receiving medical attention, the hastily-erected barricades were still up, and the rescue-ponies seemed to be taking a break.

I guess it must be over.

I started when a pony suddenly started shouting at me.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT RUINED EVERYTHING! YOU LITTLE WITCH!"

I stared dumbly at a furious-looking unicorn stallion in a dark robe, chained and with a magic-suppressing metal sleeve on his horn. Princess Twilight and Rainbow Dash were holding him in place, and both stared at me. Twilight, without breaking eye-contact with me, levitated a gag onto the crazy-pony and fixed me with a stern look.

"Cozy? What are you doing here?"

I froze and thought for a second.

"Uhh... Heroing?"

Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes as I smiled uneasily. Both of us were slightly offbalanced when Pinkie suddenly appeared next to them from seemingly nowhere and cheered.

"I call dibs on organizing a 'Welcome back to heroing' party for Cozy when we get back!"

Call Back

View Online

I glanced at Cozy as the School of Friendship came into view, chewing my lip over.

"Are you sure you're up to this, Cozy? We could just spend the day hanging out."

Cozy shrugged lightly, causing her wings to shudder slightly – probably out of discomfort. "I'm sure. What are the odds it turns out like last time, right? Bree shouldn't be here, and I really should stop back in. Mom's been worried about getting me back into school, or at least that we make a decision before the next semester."

I kicked that around in my head and nodded. "That makes sense, but no one wants to push you into anything. Just let me know if you want to leave, alright?"

Cozy snorted. "I just got done trampling on a bunch of golems and saving ponies from a collapsing city, I think I can handle some social awkwardness."

I frowned as I eyed her. "Come on, we both know that's not the same thing at all."

She sighed. "Yeah, it's just... I'm not made of glass, y'know? I get why it may seem like that after what happened with Bree, but that was moons ago, and a lot has changed since then. I don't want everypony constantly worrying."

I thought back to the awkwardness I'd experienced after the Anon-a-Miss incident with my friends, and I nodded. "Yeah... I know how that can be. Just, try not to push yourself too hard, okay? It's easy to go too far the other way or think you can't ask for help."

Cozy gave a light, little laugh. "Oh, don't worry; I learned that one a while back."

I smiled. "Fair enough! And, hey... I heard a little about the search-and-rescue mission from Twilight, but could you tell me what happened there?"

Cozy shrugged. "Some crazy earthpony alchemist decided Equestria needed better guardians than it has, and tried making a golem army. He experimented with dark magic, and, y'know—" she made swirly gestures at her temple with a hoof, swirling her eyes around for emphasis, "—went totally coocoo as a result. I hear he's getting better now."

"Dark magic, huh? What, was he trying to steal your specialty?"

Cozy looked up at me, horrified, but rolled her eyes when she saw my playful smirk. She swatted me with a hoof. "Hey, that's not funny. It's not like I meant to use dark magic! It just sorta... happens for some reason."

I blocked the hoof and snickered. "I know, I know. It still worries me a little, but as long as you're okay, I'm duty-bound to make fun of you for it. It's what friends do."

Cozy groaned, but grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Friendship is dumb."

"I thought friendship was power?"

Cozy stiffened at that, then smirked. "Dumb power. Also, deja vu."

I snorted. "So, how'd your mom take it? You got yourself into a dangerous situation again, and all."

Cozy grimaced. "She was... okay with my going to save ponies, but we had a long, long talk about appropriate tactics and attire when entering an active battlefield. Leaving my armor behind was stupid, that's on me. But she was proud of what I did, so, y'know... it kinda worked out."

I raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty unusual to have a mom that can just accept their child going off into battles like that. I'm a little surprised she didn't ground you or anything."

Cozy frowned and glanced away. "Well... we kinda met under unusual circumstances, like you know. My going off to do dangerous stuff has always been a part of our relationship. And anyway, it's not like I'm a little foal anymore. Like I said, I'm not made of glass."

I laughed at that. "Don't I know it. Watching you and Dash roughhouse every weekend really drove that home."

I looked her over, really taking in the changes she'd been through over the past year for the first time in a while. She was almost indistinguishable in height from me, or any other adult pony, now – I hadn't really noticed that, because it had been so gradual. Her original pink coat had started to come back in after she changed it to an off-white, resulting in a dull pink coloration, and her muscles rippled visibly as she walked. She had been keeping her hair straight, and now it had grown so long she had it in a ponytail, with just a few bangs framing her face. Even her wings had grown to nearly full size - larger, in some places, due to the crystal casing around so many of them. I shook my head and sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, you really aren't a little foal anymore. In fact, I don't think anypony will even recognize you without looking at your cutie mark, now."

Cozy stopped short at that, and looked herself over. "Oh... uh, yeah, that keeps taking me off-guard. Mom says I'm growing a lot faster than I should, because of all of the... y'know, alicorn-magic stuff I messed with? I don't really get it, but I definitely bump my head on a lot more stuff now than I used to."

I laughed at that. "Sorry, filly, there's no getting around that! That's the downside of getting taller."

Cozy huffed and we continued in companionable silence until we reached the front of the school. Despite her brave words, Cozy grimaced slightly and looked around sheepishly. I rested a hoof on her withers, and she glanced up at me with an unconvincing smile.

"So, uh... I guess we go to Starlight now? Ask for a tour, or whatever?"

I nodded. "That seems like a good idea. If you're sure you're ready, let's go."

Cozy nodded back stiffly, and we strode into the school. As we passed through the empty hall, Cozy smiled, looking around.

"This place really brings back memories. I mean... a lot of them are bad, but it's like, weird nostalgia." Cozy Glow gestured vaguely at the autumn decorations. "I remember organizing this place, y'know? Managing it. I put up decorations like those two years ago! And..."

She sat down and shook her head, her expression wistful. "Wow, I remember meeting the Cutie Mark Crusaders out by their clubhouse. I had just flunked a big test, and they offered to help me. I was so suspicious of them at first – like, why would they help someone they'd never met?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I was such an idiot."

I sat down next to her and nudged her shoulder. "I had the same problem once. It was actually Twilight who broke through that barrier for me. You can't blame yourself for not understanding that culture, y'know?"

Cozy smiled and shrugged. "Oh, I'm not blaming myself for that. It's just funny, looking back. I was so shy I could barely talk to new ponies, I was suspicious of everypony... and then, once I started to get the hang of it and understand just a little about it, I decided I should take over." She snorted and then giggled. "Actually, I guess it was really predictable, too! Like, I've read up on psychology, I know how an abused pony can often try to take control of everything. Y'know, feel powerful and secure. It just seems so, uh... lame, now that I've moved on."

"Banal?" I supplied helpfully, and she nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, that's it! I thought I was being cool and clever, but it was actually really banal. I like that."

I smiled and glanced up at the decorations in thought. "So... you've been studying psychology lately, huh? What brought that on?"

Cozy stuck her tongue out at me. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on using it for evil Cozy manipulation schemes. Aunt Celestia actually suggested it... she said that if I'm going to be so self-aware, I should make an effort to understand myself. And it's helpful for, like, comforting abused kids or helping ponies in shock or whatever. Superhero stuff."

I rolled my eyes at her exaggeratedly. "I didn't think you would use it for evil, Cozy. But... yeah, that all makes sense. It just hadn't really occurred to me."

Take my eyes off of this one for ten minutes, and she's always doing something new. I'm used to hanging around studious people, but she really takes it to another level.

Cozy hopped up into an upright posture and dusted herself off. "Well, we can't just sit here. Let's go see Starlight!"

I nodded as I rose to my hooves and we resumed walking, but just as we rounded the corner to Starlight's office, Cozy froze, and her face scrunched up in confusion. She glanced around the hallway like she was looking for something.

"Cozy? What's the matter?"

She rubbed her chin with a hoof. "I don't know! It feels like... something's wrong? It's hard to explain, it's like the feeling I got in the kirin village." Her wings shuddered as she spoke, looking around.

"You mean, like someone's in pain? I thought you just put that together through intuition and detective-work."

Cozy frowned and glanced over at me. "I mean, I thought so, but this is different. It's like I just know something is up."

She slowly walked over to a pair of potted plants against one of the walls, and scrutinized them carefully. After a moment, one of them suddenly opened up a big pair of bug eyes, causing Cozy to leap back with a terrified yelp and hover in place with slow wingbeats – and eliciting a cry of surprise from me, too. The plant suddenly turned into a light-blue changeling with deep blue eyes. She waved her hooves frantically.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you, I was just, uh, I heard you talking, and I didn't want to interrupt, so, umm... I was just going to let you pass by?"

The changeling gave a big, uneasy smile and darted her eyes (not that it was easy to tell) between the two of us. Cozy blinked a couple of times and then her eyes widened in recognition as she raised a hoof.

"Wait, Ocellus?"

Ocellus nodded sheepishly, keeping her rear pressed to the wall continuing her uneasy smile. "Y-yep... long time no see, Cozy!" She laughed nervously.

Cozy's jaw opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. I had to stifle an inappropriate laugh at the sight before Cozy finally spoke up.

"Right, uh... it has been a while. How have you been since, uhh..."

"Since you tried to destroy Equestria?" Ocellus supplied helpfully. "Or, uh, that time you nearly destroyed all magic in Equestria and we almost got flung into another dimension?"

I cringed, but Cozy, for her part, just froze, blinked, and landed, saying "Uh, yeah. Since then."

Ocellus perked up slightly. "Pretty good, actually! There was a lot of tension after the big battle, but things are looking up. Everycreature here has been getting along again since then."

Cozy nodded, clearly relieved at the direction the conversation was taking. "Yeah? Looking forward to the holidays?"

"Oh, definitely! I even invited Smoulder to come over to the hive this year and celebrate some of the Hearth's Warming season with us!"

Cozy sighed in relief. "That's so good to hear. I was worried it might take longer for everycreature here to get over what we did."

Ocellus shuffled uncomfortably, glancing away. "Well... it's been a little tough. But we all have each other, so it's not so bad. Somecreatures took it harder than others."

Cozy nodded at that with a frown. "Yeah, that's about what I figured. I'm, uh... for whatever it's worth? I'm sorry."

Ocellus nodded, and I was surprised to see her actually walk up to Cozy and plant a hoof on her barrel. I realized belatedly that Cozy was actually taller than her, now.

"I know, Cozy. We changelings know a thing or two about big mistakes. If you ever wanna talk about it... maybe swing by the hive sometime? We have a feelings forum for that kind of thing."

Cozy caught herself rolling her eyes and making a gagging face, and coughed politely to cover it up. "Erm, yeah! I should... I should do that, actually. Thanks."

Ocellus nodded, and then suddenly stiffened. "Oh, right! I need to get to my next class! I'll see you later, okay? Bye, Cozy! Bye, strange pony I don't know!"

She took off in a hurry down the hall after that. I called out, 'It's Sunset Shimmer!' behind her, but didn't get a response. I turned to Cozy with a shrug, and found her rubbing her chin in thought again.

"So... that was kind of strange."

Cozy shrugged at that. "Nah, that's actually pretty typical for Ocellus. She's probably nicer than she ought to be."

We resumed our walk towards the headmare's office, and Cozy remained distracted. I nudged her.

"Bit for your thoughts?"

Cozy snapped her attention to me in surprise, then shook her head. "Whoa, that's weird."

I leaned my head back and frowned quizzically. "What is?"

"Oh, uh, you reminded me of someone else for a second, sorry. Umm... I was just thinking about Ocellus' reaction to me, that's all. And how the rest of the school must be feeling."

I nodded as we continued walking. "I know what it's like to worry a whole school might hate you, but trust me, you can work through it. And I'm sure you'll find friends here who can help you. Don't get discouraged, okay?"

Cozy shook her head at that with a distant, distracted frown. "I'm not worried about that, I know I can make it work."

I found that perplexing, but Cozy didn't elaborate before knocking on Starlight's door. What immediately followed was a series of, 'Huh?', 'Oof!', a loud crash, the sound of unicorn magic moving objects around rapidly, and finally the door opened to reveal a frazzled-looking Starlight trying her best to look confident and smile.

"Uh, hi! Wel—Oh! Cozy! Uh, come in! I wasn't expecting you!" Starlight backed up, opening the door fully and waving us in. There was an actual tower of books on her desk, no doubt the cause of the crashing sound we'd heard before, and hastily reassembled prior to our entry. I smiled and nodded to her.

Wow, she really has become a replacement Twilight here. I bet this office was an absolute catastrophe when she was in charge.

Cozy nodded to Starlight, and trotted into the office. Soon enough, we were both seated in front of the desk while Starlight sat behind it, her hooves steepled together in front of her.

"So, uh, Cozy! What brings you here today? Did you want that tour we had talked about, or were you already planning to re-enroll?"

Cozy pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"Actually... I've decided not to come back."

Starlight balked at that, as did I. She beat me to the punch, saying, "But, why not? I thought you wanted to come back!"

Cozy sighed. "That's not it. I'd probably really like it here, now that I actually understand the lessons. I get why these things are important, now. But... well, I'm just not sure it's a good fit for me. I've got a lot of bad memories here, and I don't want to be reminded of all of that constantly."

Starlight leaned in, concern plain in her eyes. "But you have good memories, too, right? We worked together so well here! I know a lot of that may have been some kind of, y'know, evil plan or whatever, but you can't say it was all bad, right?"

I winced at that. This must be really hard for Starlight. She doesn't even know how much of their friendship was real, and she's got her position as headmare here to consider when talking about this...

Cozy started. "Oh, it wasn't all bad! I enjoyed working with you and Twilight. I... I actually do miss it, but I also don't want to fall into old habits. Does that make sense?"

Starlight froze in place, blinked a couple of times, and then smiled as she leaned back. "Actually, yeah. I understand completely. I, um, actually had a bit of a similar situation – after I had reformed, the ponies from my village almost put me in charge again, and I just freaked, out. I expected them to hate me, not, y'know... Well, anyway! Old habits can be hard to break, especially in a familiar place. I get it."

Cozy nodded, and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Starlight."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Starlight, we were soon making our way back towards Cozy's home on the outskirts of Ponyville. I'd kept quiet for the most part, but I finally spoke my mind once the school was well behind us.

"Cozy, are you really sure about this? It seemed like you really did want to go back... you didn't decide not to because of what Ocellus said, did you?"

Cozy grimaced and looked away a bit sheepishly. "So what if I did? I mean, that's my choice, right?"

I kept quiet for a moment to think that over. "Well, yeah, it is your choice. But I just want to make sure you're making it for the right reasons. I don't want you missing out on good experiences because you're worried about what everycreature will think of you."

Cozy shook her head. "It's not that. I'm really not worried about my ability to fit in... it's just that, well, I don't think the other creatures at the school deserve that. I put them through enough as it is. Besides, this might be better. I mean, I want to spend as much time with my mom and my aunt and with you as I can. I only just got a family, y'know? Learning more about friendship can wait until I understand that."

I laughed at that. "Did you just include me in your family?"

"Well duh, you're... uh, right, nevermind."

She smiled sheepishly and rolled her eyes at herself. I tilted my head in confusion, but decided to put it aside for the time being. "So... you're not just doing this to punish yourself, right?"

Cozy shook her head firmly. "Definitely not. I just don't think it would be a good fit for me, and... well, my main reason is that I don't think it would be good for the students. I'm trying to be better about that stuff. Y'know, thinking about how my actions will impact other ponies. Creatures. Whatever."

"Should you really be making that decision for them?"

Cozy just shrugged. "I used to help run that school. I can tell what sort of impact coming back would have, and it's not great."

I finally relented, nodding. "Alright. Sorry I doubted you, I just wanted to make sure. I'm behind you if that's your choice."

Cozy smiled up at me. "Thanks, Sunset. I know you're just looking out for me."

Trust Me

View Online

I smiled warmly down at the nervous filly before me on the training field. "Of course I'll keep teaching you. I certainly won't have my niece going without her training, and I enjoy our time together."

I nudged her with my wing, and Cozy smiled up at me – the kind of tired, weary smile that would fit the face of a much older pony, but worried me to see on a face so young.

She's been forced to grow up much too fast... if only she could have gone back to the school after all.

I cleared my throat. "I'm not questioning your decision, but could you explain to me why you decided not to go back?"

Cozy nodded. "If I'm being honest, the main reason was something you taught me."

I quirked an eyebrow at that. "Something about magic theory?"

She shook her head with a light laugh. "No, no, just... the fact that you've been teaching me at all. You're not like Mom or Sunset, you didn't remember anything about me except the horrible things I'd done. But you chose to teach me anyway... and you didn't try to get up in my head or bombard me with questions. You let me open up at my own pace. It got me thinking... that sometimes the best way to be kind is to kinda withdraw. Like, be silent, or not get in somepony's face, or whatever. Does that make sense?"

I hummed, tapping my chin. "I can see that. So you're trying to be kind to the students of the school by staying away from them."

Cozy nodded, shuffling her hooves a bit. "Sometimes less is more. I mean, sometimes ponies need active help, obviously... but sometimes the best way to help is to leave somepony alone. Or somecreature. And sometimes we're not the right ponies to help somecreature."

"I see. Well, I can hardly fault your reasoning, there. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the attitude that the world is better off without you in it, though."

Cozy waved her hooves frantically, prompting a smirk from me. "Nonono, that's not what I mean! I get how that's a bad mindset, I'm just saying it's bad for them to be—wait, are you making fun of me?"

"Maybe a little bit." I snickered, and she pouted, sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry at me. She did laugh afterwards, though.

"Okay, okay, you got me. Thanks for not treating me like I'm a time bomb or whatever."

"Aww." I ruffled her mane. "Cozy, being a time bomb doesn't mean I won't poke fun at you." I stuck my tongue out at her, and she just balked with her mouth hanging open before she playfully swatted my hoof.

"You're terrible!"

I nodded hurriedly. "Awesome and terrible, that's what the historians wrote about me! It is incumbent upon one such as I to live up to my reputation."

Cozy giggled at that, rolling her eyes. "Preeeeetty sure that's not what they meant."

I wonder if this will be alright...

I leaned in with a sly smile. "Oh, well, what do you expect? I'm just one of those magic types, so reliant on my special power I forget to use my brains, right?"

Cozy stiffened, and then giggled again, sheepishly this time, while scuffing the ground. "Y-yeah, that was pretty rotten of me, huh?"

I laughed at that, leaning back and shaking my head. "Not at all! It was actually a pretty good point... I didn't expect to be given constructive criticism in the middle of a battle, but there it is."

Cozy brightened a little at that, and sighed in relief. "So much has happened I sometimes forget all of that stuff. Everything that came before I got turned to stone, I mean. It's kinda strange, at the time it felt like the Battle of the Bell was the biggest deal ever, and that there was no way anypony could ever move past it. And now it just feels... I dunno, smaller? It happened and now it's over, just like everything else."

Looks like I really should trust her to handle some friendly ribbing after all. It's good to see she's got the confidence for it now.

I nodded, and sighed wistfully. "I've lived long enough to see many such epic sagas come and go. Each one shapes the future, but ponies overestimate their importance... at the time my sister and I turned Discord to stone, we never could have imagined he would become an ally and a friend to Equestria in the future, yet here we are. As you said, things happen, and then they're over, just like everything else."

Cozy smiled up at me with a warmth that took me off-guard. "That's because of you, y'know? A lot of it, anyway. You were the one who suggested Discord should be reformed, who wanted Luna to be rescued and set that up... you're the one who pushed ponies to be forgiving, so we can let go of the past. It may have been Discord and Luna who saved me, but neither of them would even be around if you hadn't done all of that. Made Equestria like that."

I paused in thought, putting together what she had said, and slowly sat down to think it over. "I... had not truly considered just how far-reaching my own actions were in that regard, but you're right."

Cozy shrugged, also sitting down. "Yeah, you were just trying to do what was right in the moment each time, right? It's easy to miss the big picture when you're doing that, but all those little good deeds sure pile up."

I smiled back at her, feeling a warmth spread out from my chest. "They do. And if we're lucky, they come back to us in the form of friendship and family." I extended a wing to wrap around the filly, and she nuzzled into it with a giggle. After a few moments, she sighed and looked back up at me.

"Speaking of forgiveness and stuff... I actually needed to talk to you about something."

I put on a display of mock horror. "Oh, Cozy, do you need help hiding the bodies?"

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Very funny. Seriously, though... it's about Sunset."

I recoiled slightly in surprise at that. My mind raced a bit, but I just shook my head. "What about her?"

"Well... you two have moved past your differences and all, but, isn't it time you actually, y'know... adopted her?" She made a visible effort not to give me puppy-dog eyes, and the result was an awkward cringe as she spoke.

For my part, I was flummoxed. How did this conversation end up HERE, of all places? I cleared my throat awkwardly.

"Erm... that's... well, I can't say I've never considered it, but... Sunset's a grown woman now, and we've been apart for several years. It wouldn't be... it would be very strange to suddenly..." I waved a hoof futilely as I tried to conjure a succinct way to explain this complicated situation to a filly.

Cozy just rolled her eyes at me. "She's not even an adult yet, at least in the human world. And she'd be a lot happier if you did it, trust me. So would you, for that matter. I know you think it would feel... Uh, what was the word... forced, but seriously, at this point, why not?"

I stared at the filly, momentarily lost for words as I considered the situation. I eventually scoffed. "You sound a lot like your mom, you know that? She was on my case about this as well, some moons ago..."

Cozy smiled at that, sincerely. "Well, I'm glad to hear I'm becoming more like her, a little bit."

I chewed my lip over. "What brought all of this on, anyway?"

"Well... Luna did call Sunset my cousin one time, which kinda got me thinking, but, it's sorta complicated. Uhh... did Mom tell you about Sunny? The whole bar out of time thing?"

I nodded slowly. Right, the strange pocket-dimension Cozy ended up in before returning to our world... run by an alternate-dimension version of Sunset Shimmer. I stiffened. "So, you discussed this with 'Sunny', then?"

Cozy nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I did. Uh, so, it seems like in some worlds, you adopt her, and in a lot of others, you don't... but you're both almost always happier when you do. You're apparently always awkward about it being so late in her adolescence, but, well... it works out. So I felt like it's worth a shot."

I considered that carefully for a few long moments before I responded. "Of course, just because it worked out in other timelines or worlds doesn't mean it would work out in ours. It could be that in those worlds, it happens that way because it would work out."

Cozy nodded and sighed. "I know, I know. It's not like we can just blueprint our lives off of those what-ifs, but... I mean, why not just ask her? Are you unwilling to go through with it it?"

I balked but tilted my head and looked to the sky as I considered it. "I... no, I'd be willing. I do care deeply for her, I just... I..." I sighed as my words failed me. I looked down at the filly in my wing, who just waited expectantly for me to figure out what I wanted to say. Finally, after much deliberation, I cleared my throat and continued.

"I never truly believed she saw me that way. For that matter, I never saw myself as a motherly type. After I... lost Luna, I started to throw myself into my work. I saw all of Equestria as my family, as though that would fill the void she left. And that self-image kept me from opening up too much to anypony else for a very long time. I... what Bree said to me held an unfortunate edge of truth to it, in that regard."

Cozy cringed, but she nodded. "Yeah, I can get how that would happen. Self-image can really mess with your ability to bond with other ponies, that's one thing I know all about."

I snickered and glanced back up to the sky. "The stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, can be empowering and inspiring, or they can tie us down. Typecast us, so to speak." I shrugged and looked back down, rubbing Cozy's head with my wing again. "I will speak with Sunset about it. Thank you for your advice, Cozy."

Cozy giggled. "Don't thank me, I'm totally being selfish – I just want a cousin!"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I ruffled her mane. "Oh, you!"

Good Deeds

View Online

"You're sure that it's fine?"

Sunset nodded with a broad smile, and swept me up into a big hug, actually lifting me off of my feet slightly.

Perk of the human form, I guess!

"Cozy, thank you so, so much..."

I rolled my eyes into her shoulder and snickered. "It was no big deal, really! It was the least I could do after everything you've done for me."

Sunset laughed and shuddered, trying to restrain her emotions. "It's a big deal to me, Cozy. I never thought she'd actually... I mean, wow. We're family now!"

I laughed again as we disengaged and gave her side-eye. "I've thought of you as family for a while now, this just makes it official."

She gave me a noogie and spoke as I tried in vain to swat her hand away. "I know that! You little goofball."

I eventually wrestled her off of me and grinned up at her. "S-sto~op, heh... I'm just glad you're fine with combining the adoption party with Mom's birthday. I know she'd want to, but I thought you might want your own day for it."

Sunset waved a hand dismissively. "No, no, I like it! I mean, what better way to join the family, right? She's my aunt now, wow. How does that even work? I'm still wrapping my head around the whole 'mom' thing, but now I've got an aunt, a cousin, and I guess a second cousin with Cadance? Oh, wow, that means Twilight and I are distantly related, too." She boggled at that for a second.

I just gave her a swat on the shoulder. "Just keep doing what you've been doing! We all love you already."

Sunset sniffled, caught herself, and rolled her eyes while wiping them off with her sleeve. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Ahem. Sorry, it's just... I'd wanted it for so long, I thought it was just a fantasy."

Wait why is she sad?!

People can cry when they're happy, too, remember?

Oh, right.

I shrugged as we resumed our walk across the soccer field towards the school gym. "Yeah, I've been there."

We continued in companionable silence for a few moments, Sunset still sniffling slightly and drying her eyes, when suddenly a loud, familiar voice from behind us startled us out of our wits.

"Hey, Sunset, Cozy! You two are late! What kept—whoa, Sunset, are you crying?"

Sunset grumbled and wiped her eyes again with a grin. "No, you're crying, Dash."

Dash reeled back in confusion, but I cut her off just as she tried to speak. "Celestia finally adopted her!"

Dash froze, staring at us both like we grew extra heads. Then, like a gear had suddenly come unstuck in her head, she relaxed and rolled her eyes "Oh, duh, you mean Princess Celestia. I keep forgetting that's a thing."

"Did I hear someone say my name?"

Principal Celestia rounded the bleachers, a perplexed expression on her face. All of us stopped and looked at each other awkwardly for a moment.

Oh no! Social awkwardness! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

I bounced up and pointed at Celestia. "You're her not-Mom!"

Celestia looked at me like I'd gone crazy, and Sunset swatted me on the shoulder as she laughed. "Cozy! What are you doing?"

I just brushed my shoulder off and folded my arms. "What? Are you trying to keep it a secret? 'Cuz we are throwing a giant celebration party thing about it in a few days, so that might not work out."

Dash suddenly leaned in. "Whoa, really?! Sweet! Can I come?"

Sunset cleared her throat, grin plastered on her face. "Yeah, definitely! I'd like all of my friends to be there, if that's okay with Princess – err, Aunt Luna."

I waved a hand dismissively at that. "Oh, sure! I don't think she'd mind at all!"

All three of us were distracted by a stern throat-clearing 'AHEM', to see Principal Celestia tapping her foot impatiently with her arms folded.

"Would any of you care to fill me in on what's going on?"

I snorted. "The other you adopted Sunset! Isn't that great?!"

Principal Celestia reeled slightly at that, her mouth hanging open in surprise for a moment. "Uh, oh! That's wonderful! Erm, congratulations, Sunset!"

Sunset smiled sheepishly, her cheeks flushing red as she folded her arms more tightly and cast her eyes down. "Thank you, Principal."

Celestia laughed awkwardly and and rested a hand on her face. "I have to admit, I'm not quite certain how to react! But I am glad you found a place where you belong."

Just as we were all considering that, another voice caught our attention, and we looked over to see Pinkie Pie poking her head out at us between the bleachers on our left. "Ooo, what's this? A party celebrating something?" She eyed all of us. "Let's see... Sunset got adopted! Ooo!"

Sunset started. "Wait, how did you—"

Nope!

Seconded!

I cut her off with a wave of my hand. "No! Party's in four days, Pinkie. We all just ran into each other here."

"Four days, you say? IiIiInteresting..."

And with that she slowly leaned back and away, eyes wide and fixated on us, and disappeared into the shadows under the bleachers.

Dash coughed awkwardly. Celestia shook her head and said, "Right! I should get back to work. Congratulations again, Sunset!"

Sunset nodded gratefully to the principal, and we parted ways there. Dash, Sunset and I went to the gym, where we went through our usual martial-arts training, though the mood was significantly giddier than usual with the good news. By the time we wrapped up and finished showering, the sun had set and night had fallen. The air was crisp and cool as we walked back towards the portal with Dash, who clapped me on the back after we had left the gym.

"Seriously, Cozy, you've gotten a lot tougher. It feels like I'm hitting a brick wall whenever we spar now!"

Uh oh.

Yeah, awkward...

I laughed and shrugged, raising my hands helplessly. "Yeah, I've noticed that too. I've had to learn to be a lot more gentle – stuff breaks a lot more easily when I bump into it."

Sunset looked at me with plain concern on her face. "That's not because of your wings, is it?"

Of course she figured it out immediately.

What did you expect? It's Sunset!

"Y-yeah, it is..."

Sunset leaned in and put a hand on my shoulder. "Cozy, how bad has it gotten?"

I chewed my lip over as I wondered how best to keep her from worrying. "W-well, it doesn't hurt or anything! But, um... I can't open my wings anymore."

Dash let out a 'Gah' at that, and Sunset flinched as well before saying, "Wait, you can't open them at all?!"

I waved a hand at her frantically, hoping to calm her down. "No, I can! Er, sometimes... It just sorta happens sometimes, and I don't even notice. But when I actually try to open and close them, I usually just... can't."

It was Dash's turn to lean in with obvious concern. Dangit, why can't they just stop caring so much?! "Cozy, that sounds like nerve damage. That's serious, you really need to get something done about those crystals."

I sighed. "We've tried. Aunt Celestia tried removing them with magic, but the crystals just repair themselves as fast as they can be removed, and after a while, it starts to hurt... like, a lot. I can actually feel stuff through the crystal now, like it's part of me. Most impacts and having some of it chipped off doesn't hurt, but when a lot of damage happens at once, it... yeah, it really, really hurts."

Sunset and Dash shared a concerned look at that, and I just stomped my foot angrily. "Will you two quit worrying about it?! Look, there's not much we can do right now, but it's a good day today! Sunset got adopted, we're planning a party, and Mom and Celestia still think it's going to work itself out, so... so can we just not worry about this stuff today?"

Sunset relented, holding her hands up placatingly. "Okay, okay! I understand, we just care about you is all."

Dash nodded. "No need to blow a fuse, Cozy, we're just trying to make sure you're alright."

I caught myself, and rubbed my face for a second.

That was stupid.

Story of my life, right there.

"Sorry, you two. I guess I'm still full of adrenaline from the sparring."

Dash just gave a shrug and a smile. "Hey, no problem. Just make sure you're taking care of yourself, alright? And you should talk to the other me, she knows more about wing stuff than I do."

I nodded at that absently, then I suddenly looked over at her in realization. "Wait, how did you know I'm back on speaking terms with the other Dash?"

Rainbow just rolled her eyes. "Duh, secret friendship plan, remember? I went and had a talk with her."

I tilted my head. "Waaaiiit... so that stuff about, 'befriend Dash in one world, befriend them all', was that... you?"

Dash just shrugged. "It was kind of a group effort. I mean, we both had the same feelings on it, it was just awkward for her. So I told her to, y'know, pony up and get over it. Eheh."

Sunset and I just gave her flat stares, and she threw her hands up in response. "What? Pff, tough crowd."

I rolled my eyes, but I smiled at her. "Thanks, Dash. I appreciate it. And I actually did get her help with my wings, at first, but... well, she doesn't know what's going on, either. And now that I can't fly, I can't really do that any more. I'm actually glad I can come over here to stretch and train, because it's kinda tiring carrying all of that crystal around all the time. I feel like a turtle or something."

Dash laughed at that. "Hey, turtles are totally cool! And with how tough you are, you're really giving Tank a run for his money."

I groaned while Sunset laughed. "The other Dash already made that joke, too."

Rainbow just snapped a finger in frustration. "Yeah, that figures. Oh, this is where we split up – I promised AJ I'd help her family load some furniture today, so I'll see you two in a few days."

Sunset and I nodded and waved as she took off. After Dash had disappeared into the school, we resumed our walk in silence towards the front parking lot. As soon as the portal came into view, I froze in my tracks, as a horrible, icy sensation ran up my back.

"Uhh... Sunset?"

Sunset glanced at me in surprise, noting my expression and looking around. "What is it, Cozy? Is something wrong?"

"I'm... not sure? I feel weird, like... remember how I told you I could feel something was wrong when Ocellus was hiding from us?"

Sunset nodded, putting a hand to her chin. "Is that what's happening now? Do you think someone's in pain around here?"

I shook my head, shivering slightly. "No, no, this is something else. It's like... the same kind of sense, but a different thing. Like hearing a different sound. I don't know what this is, but it feels cold and... dark."

Sunset seemed lost for words, and both continued looking around the parking lot as we made our way across it. We stopped in front of the statue, and I shuddered like I'd just been dunked into an ice bath.

"I think it's coming from the portal."

Sunset grimaced. "I was afraid you'd say that. Do you think someone's in trouble on the other side? Here, let me contact Starlight, I can try to make sure."

I nodded, and she pulled a journal with Starlight's cutie mark on it out of her bag. Just as she began writing, I felt a wrenching sensation, and I actually jumped in fright.

"Sunset, I think something's really wrong! I don't think we can wait!"

Sunset hesitated, but then quickly wrote something down and snapped the book shut with a nod. "Okay. Alright, if you think so, let's go – but be careful, okay?"

I nodded and took her hand, and together we passed into the portal. As we flew through the rainbow tunnel towards the other world, though, I felt that terrible cold washing over us, and gave a reflexive beat of my wings. The universe flipped sideways, and suddenly we both fell, screaming, out into a blasted, grey landscape, the portal snapping closed behind us.

We both landed with grunts, and as I was rubbing my tailbone and looking around, I realized that Sunset was still in her human form.

I wasn't, though. I was back in my pony form, useless crystal-clad wings and all.

Sunset looked around in a panic. "Wait, where are we...? This isn't Equestria, is it?"

I looked up at the sky, which was covered in stormclouds as far as the eye could see. Out to the horizon, I only saw grey dirt, tinted slightly green by the stormclouds overhead. On a distant outcropping I saw a single, dead tree.

"I... really hope not."

Pile Up

View Online

Okay, okay, don't freak out, get your bearings—

Cozy looked at me, clearly distraught. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to mess up the portal!"

I held up my hands placatingly. "Cozy, it's not your fault! Let's just try to get home."

She grimaced. "It is, though! I felt something weird as we were passing through, and I... I think I reached out for it. It was just a reflex!"

I rubbed my forehead as I surveyed our surroundings. "Well, that's not important right now. Wait... why am I still a human if you're a pony?"

Cozy shrugged helplessly. "Because... I think I tried to reach out for what I felt with one of my wings? Maybe that triggered the portal's automatic pony-human-change-thing?"

I sighed and rubbed a temple. "Okay, okay. We can figure out the magic theory later, but for now, we should try to... uhh..." I looked at the wasteland around us, but there wasn't anything of note aside from some mountains and hills in the distance. "... Actually, I'm not sure what we should do."

Cozy shook her head and took off one of her saddlebags, rooting through it. "It'll be okay! I have my stuff with me, and I think I might know where a portal is. I can... sorta feel it." She pointed with one hoof while rummaging in her bag, and I glanced in that direction to see a solitary mountain on the horizon.

She can feel portals, now, too? How much has been changing for her that she hasn't bothered to talk about?

I looked back at the nervous filly to see her downing a potion of some kind, and then she pulled a small crossbow out of the bag as well. "Hey, Sunset. You know how to shoot one of these things, right?"

I threw my hands up. "I guess? A little? Why do you even have that?!"

Cozy shrugged. "Mom insisted I take it with me. It can be hoof-operated, but it also has a trigger so I can use it in human form, and it's a lot better that way. It shoots magic bolts, so it shouldn't run out here, at least!" She gave a demonstrative flick of the hoof-lever, causing the crossbow to fire a spectral deep-blue bolt into the dirt.

I laughed despite myself. "Good thing Luna's so paranoid, I guess. I will feel safer if I can defend myself, but, Cozy... I don't think anyone else is even here."

Cozy fixed me with a worried look, and shook her head slowly. "No, they're definitely here. And they're moving towards the portal."

I sighed. "Ooooof course they are. And I guess you can feel that too?"

Cozy nodded with a grimace. "Sorry, I don't know why my wings are so sensitive all of a sudden, but I've been getting buried in feelings from them ever since we got here."

I shrugged and took the crossbow, giving an experimental shot of my own. It seemed very accurate, and judging by the kick, it would hit hard enough to put most things down. I rolled my eyes. "Cozy, how were you even going to use this in the human world?"

"Oh! It's got this mana-battery-crystal thing on it that Aunt Celestia and I made it together! It can store ten shots even in the human world."

I groaned. "Greeeaaat, bringing more Equestrian magic into the human world. Well, I can't exactly say it was a bad idea, right now—hey, what are you doing?"

Cozy stopped in the middle of guzzling a small jar of liquid, and then finished it off before tossing the container aside and wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof. "Stamina potion. Want one? I was worn out after the sparring session."

I considered it, but shook my head. "Save it in case we need it later. I didn't push myself as hard as you did, and I'll probably be wiped out if we have to hike all the way up that mountain."

Cozy nodded, slinging her bag over her back and looking around skittishly. "Then, umm... we should go. I don't know what's out there, but it feels bad. Like, that-day-in-the-forest bad."

I stiffened. "Yeah, let's get moving."

It took us the better part of two hours to reach the mountain and begin ascending; to my surprise, there was a smooth stone path leading up into it, making the hike much easier than I had expected. The reason for the path became obvious once we had rounded the corner of one of the smaller peaks; a fortress was nestled into the mountain, obviously worn down by many years of disuse. I realized the walls were actually merged into the mountainside itself – the same technique used to make Canterlot Castle, in fact. I shook my head as we kept walking.

"Let me guess, that's where the portal is?"

Something about this seems familiar...

Cozy nodded, chewing her lip. "I think we're the first ones here, but be careful, okay?"

I nodded, hefting the crossbow she'd given me and considering what I'd seen. The clouds blocking out the sky never seemed to move, and I hadn't noticed any shift in the level of daylight since we had arrived. Now there was apparently a portal inside of some kind of fortress that had obviously been made with magic...

"Cozy, I think I might have an idea of where we are. This place... I think we're on the edge of Limbo."

Cozy glanced at me in concern. "Wait, where the Pony of Shadows was banished to?"

I nodded. "But don't worry, the Pony of Shadows was banished into Limbo itself. Limbo is the space between worlds, but this 'edge' dimension is like a... a hub. Starswirl the Bearded wrote about visiting it and studying it while he was researching the banishment spells he used against the Sirens and the Pony of Shadows. Magic is... a lot stronger here. That's how he was able to make this fortress, though he needed a lot of help from other unicorns."

Cozy started. "You know how this fortress got here? What's it called?"

"Well, it's just a theory, but..." I strode up to the front gate – the portcullis had long since rotted away – and looked at the old, decayed banner in front of it. Sure enough, Starswirl's cutie mark could just barely be made out against the faded, dark-grey cloth. "A-ha! Yep, this is the Fortress at the End of the World, just like he wrote about."

Cozy shuddered at that. "The end of the world?" She glanced around at the barren landscape and grimaced. "I've seen that once already..."

"Hey, cheer up! You were right, this fortress was built to protect the portal to Equestria, so we should be in the right place! Only... World's End Fortress was abandoned because the portal was failing. It might not be as easy as just walking home."

Cozy perked up, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Well, I'm sure we can figure out! I mean, you're really smart, and know all about portals, and I've studied a lot of alchemy and magic too."

I nodded and scratched her behind the ear, prompting her to lean into my hand. "Yeah, we'll figure it out and get home before you know it!"

I hope...

With that, we set into the fortress, exploring it. Several rooms had caved in where wooden support beams had decayed and fallen apart, but most of the place was solid stone, and had held up to the centuries just fine. The eastern hall was completely inaccessible, but the central and western halls were still intact, as was the central courtyard.

"I know it's not the time, but this place is... I mean, wow."

Cozy nodded, staring up at the imposing crenelation that surrounded the central courtyard. "Yeah. I mean, it's nowhere near as big as Canterlot Castle, but still... I wouldn't want to be invading this place." I watched her carefully scan the walls and towers and take in every detail, and I snickered.

"I wasn't talking about strategy, I just meant it's a beautiful place."

Cozy started and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Eheh, sorry, it's just... I can still feel those things approaching. If we can't get the portal open, we might have to fight them here."

I cringed at that and felt an icy shard of panic in my spine. "Oh, right... that had actually slipped my mind."

Cozy shuddered slightly and pressed into me. "Let's just try to get out of here. I don't want to know what's behind us."

We pressed through the central courtyard and down the main hall to the back to the fortress. Before we even entered the final chamber, I could feel the magic streaming through the air, like gentle wind currents running along the floor, walls, and ceiling – and as we rounded the final corner, I could actually see them. Blue-white streams of energy, slowly pulling in towards a glowing nexus in the center of the chamber; four crystal pillars surrounding a white orb of magic that gently pulsed like a heart.

I sucked my breath in as we approached, nervous to get too close to the portal. "Well... this is it."

Cozy looked it over with a frown. "So this is the portal? Do we... just walk in?"

I shook my head firmly. "No, not yet. It's not open yet, but... something is recharging it. It'll be open soon."

Cozy looked at me, back at the portal, and back at me, and her face paled. "Wait, something is charging it from the outside? A portal to Equestria, here, on the edge of Limbo?"

It took me a moment to understand the implication of what she was saying, and I shuddered. "Whatever you feel coming... I guess this is what it's heading for, and they're getting it ready."

Cozy chewed her lip over for a moment, then stood tall and firm. "Alright. In that case, we need to get this place ready to greet them. Whatever they are, they're not getting into Equestria."

I nodded uneasily. "I guess so, but... can we really handle that by ourselves?"

Cozy sucked in a breath and nodded sternly. "It won't be the first time I've faced off against a bunch of idiots at once before, don't worry."

"But you had your magic before, right? How are we going to defend this place with just the two of us? I mean, I'll do what I can with this—" I hefted the crossbow "—but I don't think my geode magic is going to be much help here."

Cozy chewed her cheek for a few moments. "You said magic is stronger here, right? Well... maybe we can use that to our advantage."

With that, she set off, and I quickly followed her back out to the courtyard. I was about to ask what she meant when she started groaning and straining, to my alarm.

"Cozy?! Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, just... trying to get my wings open..."

She was visibly struggling, and biting her lower lip as she kept arching her back and trying to flare her wings. I set the crossbow down and rushed to her side.

"Cozy, Cozy, stop." I set a hand on her back and she looked up at me plaintively, and I gently brushed her hair. "Here, let me help." I gently slid a hand under one of her wings, and slowly lifted it up and away from her body. I'd expected a lot of resistance, but it was just heavy, not stiff.

Cozy breathed a deep sigh of relief and wobbled on her feet. "That feels a lot better... umm... could you help me stretch both of them?"

She blushed heavily as she asked that, but I just nodded and carefully extended both wings to full extension. She shuddered as I did so, and tentatively flexed both slightly. It took a few tries, but she was eventually able to slowly open and close them on her own. I brushed her hair gently as she experimented with them a bit.

"Does that feel better?"

She nodded gratefully. "Thanks again, Sunset. I think I may be able to try them out, now. It feels a bit easier here than it did in Equestria, at least."

That doesn't sound good...

"What are you trying out, anyway?"

"Well—" She trotted a short distance from me and slowly opened her wings to full span, "—I was able to make these weird black lightning things when I flapped them hard enough before. Like arcs of magic or whatever."

I leaned back and frowned. "Cozy, you mean you're going to try to use dark magic? You know how dangerous that is."

Cozy just huffed in response. "It's not like I really try to use it! It's just what happens when I use my wings now! I'm not sure it really even is dark magic... oh, just watch!"

With that, and with a serious visible strain, she forced her wings into one powerful beat. A huge blast of air went out – enough to send my hair trailing behind me, even though it was aimed in the other direction – and black arcs of lightning lanced from her wings and into the air and ground in front of her. She turned triumphantly towards me and raised a hoof.

"See?! We could use this—"

We were both distracted by the sudden rumbling and cracking sound that came from the area Cozy had just blasted, followed by a black crystal emerging from the ground. Cozy just stared at it bug-eyed for a few seconds, and then sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"... Ooookay, so maybe it is dark magic, but—"

I shook my head, crossing my arms and putting on my most stern expression. "No! Cozy, absolutely not! You remember what you went through the last time you were exposed to dark magic – it's why your wings are like to that to begin with!"

Cozy just frowned at me while I spoke, and shrugged after I finished. "There's something coming, Sunset. Something bad. I don't see any other way we can protect ourselves – this is the only magic we've got right now!"

I opened my mouth to object, but then snapped it shut, grimacing and looking away.

"I can't let you do that to yourself, Cozy... and what about me, anyway? If I touch one of those crystals, it could make me sick, or even kill me!"

Cozy frowned at that, rubbing her chin in thought, and then trotted up to me. She slightly reached around behind her neck, and I heard a light popping sound. Her hoof came forward with the small crystal-heart necklace she always wore, which had been hidden in her fur until then.

"Here, Sunset. Take this. It should help protect you a little, as long as the magic in it holds out."

I worked my jaw and rubbed my forehead. "Cozy, you can't give me that!"

Cozy just smiled at me – a deep, resigned expression that just made me worry more. "Why not? You're the reason it has power in the first place – you and Mom, anyway. If I can't use it to protect you, what good is it?"

I scoffed. "What will protect you?!"

Cozy shoved the necklace into my hand and turned on her hooves, trotting towards the black crystal. "I don't think I need protection from this anyway."

"Cozy, don't touch it—!"

But she had already extended a wing to the crystal, and just like that, the crystal evaporated into black and purple motes that fed back into her wing. Cozy just glanced back at me with that same tired expression and shrugged.

"See? It may be horrible, but it's still just a part of me. You don't need to worry about me, so keep that necklace on, okay?"

Reckless little...! And don't think I missed that comment about a part of you being horrible!

I groaned and glanced down at the glowing crystal heart in my palm. Hesitantly, I clasped it around my neck.

This doesn't even make sense – how could she even use dark magic while wearing this? Or, how could she charge the necklace while she was covered in dark magic crystals? There's so much here we don't know...

"Cozy, just because it didn't hurt you when you touched it doesn't mean it's not dangerous. If you start using dark magic to solve your problems, it's going to bring the worst out in you. It's exactly what you're trying to avoid... you get that, right?"

Cozy nodded. "It's a... umm.." She twirled a hoof around for a moment. "It's a managed risk. I'll only do it if I have to, but if we're about to be in a fight, we need to know what our options are."

I rubbed my face and grumbled in frustration.

Dark magic should never be an option!

I knew from experience how corrosive it could be, but I also couldn't argue her point, so I settled for just throwing my hands down by my sides and taking a stiff breath. Cozy was busy analyzing the layout of the fortifications.

"Fine, Cozy. We can consider it as a last resort, but right now, we aren't even sure those creatures or whatever are coming."

Cozy, who was busy eying the side passages in the gatehouse that led up to the northern wall, just shrugged and waved a hoof over to the tower on the corner of the courtyard. "Go see for yourself. They're so close, I think you should be able to spot them on the plains."

I stiffened, and ran to the tower – right, this type of tower is called a turret in a castle – and bounded up the uneven steps until I reached the top.

Sure enough, there was a roiling black mass making its way across the plains towards us, following the same path we had. I watched them for several seconds, and I estimated that they were moving at a brisk walking pace – they wouldn't make it here for at least another hour.

One hour before we have to deal with... whatever those creatures are.

Not only that, I spotted more on the horizon, even farther away. The first mass didn't look like it could be more than twenty creatures if they were pony-sized, but the others farther out were far, far larger. I felt my heart sink.

We're going to die here. Oh stars and moon, we're going to die here.

I numbly made my way down the tower to find that Cozy was taking measurements of the gatehouse doorways with a seamstress' tape. My voice came out so shaky and squeaky I almost sounded like Fluttershy.

"Cozy...?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

Cozy didn't bother dropping the tape in her mouth as she read off measurements and made small marks in the doorway with her carpenter's pencil. Despite myself, I gave a low, defeated chuckle.

She really prepared for everything, I guess. Except... this.

"Cozy, it's not just a group. It's an army. And the first ones will be here in an hour."

Cozy, to my surprise, just nodded and gently set the tools back in her bag. "Well, that was the worst-case scenario, but it's basically what I figured."

Her cool demeanor finally pushed me over the edge, and I threw my hands up as I shouted. "COZY! There's an ARMY HEADED RIGHT FOR US! The portal won't be open in time for us to get away!"

Cozy fixed me with a stern look that froze me in place before I could continue my rant.

"Yeah, I get that, Sunset." She gestured forcefully in the direction of the creatures I'd seen. "ARMY?" She flung her hoof towards the rest of the fortress. "MEET CASTLE. We'll be fine!"

I sucked in a breath, desperately trying to force down the panic in my guts. "This castle was meant to be defended by a dozen of the strongest unicorn magi of Starswirl's era, Cozy! And they only put it up because they expected there might be roving bands of monsters – how are the two of us supposed to hold it against an army of... of whatever dark-magic creatures are headed straight for us?!"

Cozy grinned at me – the same kind of manic grin I'd seen on her when she was playing a strategy game with me.

"Like this!"

And with that, she beat her wings, causing a line of large black crystals to erupt from the ground, cutting diagonally across the gatehouse between one of the staircases and the front gate.

I just stared. "How... Cozy, that might slow them down, but—!"

"No, it will funnel them! See, when they get inside, they'll have to head up this staircase—" she gestured towards the left-hand staircase in the gatehouse, now blocked on this side by crystals, "—go all the way around the top wall—" her hoof trailed the path as she spoke, looping around to the right side staircase that I could still see clearly, "—and come out over here. And they'll be exposed to the southern wall the whole time!"

I blinked as I processed what she was saying, and it slowly started to click into place.

"I'll... go get the crossbow!"

"Great! I'll see about blocking off the west hall so they're stuck in the courtyard if they get past this."

As I walked across the courtyard, my mind whirling as I tried to come to grips with how we'd ended up in this situation, I found myself laughing.

I guess if I had to get stuck fighting an army of freaky shadow monsters, there's nopony I'd rather do it with than Cozy.

I slowly made my way to the portal room, and up the staircase access there that led to the south wall. Once I was there, I gave the crossbow several more test shots to make sure I could hit targets on the opposing wall; it seemed easy enough. Recoil aside, the crossbow could fire remarkably fast, and each bolt seemed to strike home with remarkable force. Cozy made her way up behind me after a few minutes, audibly panting.

"I did all I can for now... magic may be stronger here, but there's still only so much I can use before I feel like I ran a marathon." She settled in next to where I was kneeling and shooting, pressing into my hip and resting her chin on one of the crenels. I smiled down at her, trying to bury my fears, and scratched the back of her neck.

"Thanks, Cozy. I wish I could help, but unless I pony up, I can't do magic as a human. Well, aside from my geode."

Cozy nodded idly. "I know. I think the safest thing to do now is to rest and save our strength for the fight. Did you see how many were in the nearest group?"

I shrugged as I set the crossbow aside and turned around to rest my back against the merlon I had been aiming over. "I think maybe twenty or so? That's assuming they're sized like ponies, anyway."

Cozy yawned, carefully stretching out, and mumbled, "They're probably shades. Y'know, dark-magic summons."

I perked up slightly at that. "Really? I've read about those! They're dangerous if they touch you, but they're supposed to be pretty slow."

Cozy nodded, keeping her eyes closed and pressing into my hip a bit more. "Yeah... dumb, too. Aunt Celestia made me read a lot about dark magic after the whole... thing." She gave another yawn.

I started slightly. "Hey, now, don't go falling asleep! I get that you're confident in your strategy—" I left out 'heavens know why' "—but we're still looking at an actual battle coming our way."

Cozy smirked, keeping her eyes closed. "I know. I just need to rest a little – magic exhaustion. And anyway, it's not like this is our first battle, right?"

I rolled my eyes and let out a breath at that. "I guess not. But I've never had one where it was so... I don't know, military? A fortress, a crossbow...? I've never used a weapon in an actual fight before, unless you count threatening to smash a statue with a sledgehammer."

Cozy snickered at that. "Don't worry, Sunset. You'll do great. If we've got to fight a bunch of shades, there's nopony I'd rather have by my side... well, actually, there's Discord. He'd probably make the shades dance the macarena until they exploded into confetti or something. But you're a close second!"

I snorted and swatted her playfully, catching a WHAP from her tail across my knees for my trouble. We stayed there in companionable silence for a few minutes, and I just idly stroked her mane while we waited for the inevitable. Eventually, I spoke up.

"Y'know... I saw the memories of the other me. I remember fighting Grogar – at least for a few moments – with you, but... I guess it didn't really sink in that this sort of situation isn't that new to you, is it?" I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I was absolutely freaked out when I realized how many of them were coming, that we would actually need to fight to keep them out of here... but I guess for you, this is just like old times, huh?"

Cozy's eyes opened slowly and she stared out at the courtyard absently as she replied. "Actually, I'm terrified. But that's just not really helpful right now."

My heart sank on hearing that – I'd really hoped at least one of us had a handle on this – but I tried not to let it show as I kept brushing her mane. "Well, you're doing a good job of not showing it. And who knows, maybe the portal will open sooner than we expect, and we'll be able to get out of here before things get too bad."

For her part, Cozy's eyes narrowed. "I guess. Either way, though... I'll keep you safe."

For a moment, I almost objected that she should keep both of us safe. Instead, I settled on, "Likewise."

Once the army was ten minutes out, Cozy and I both went out to the courtyard to stretch and warm up, and perform a final check of our defenses. She ran through her plans with me – signals to do various things, places to fall back to, contingency plans in case something went wrong – and soon enough, I was up on the northern wall, watching the mountain pass leading up to our fortress, crossbow trained on the corner they'd have to come around. Cozy stood right beside me, watching carefully.

"Remember, as soon as I'm sure they're just shades, start shooting. We don't want to hurt anypony, but shades are just spells."

I nodded slightly, keeping my eye trained on my crossbow sight. Honestly, how did we end up here...? And how would I ever get through this without her?

"Cozy, thank you so much—"

"There they are!"

Cozy pointed, but I had already started tracking the first shade to come around the corner. It was hard to keep an aim fixed at this range, but I was doing my best. After a few seconds, Cozy said, "Yeah, they're definitely shades!"

And with that, I started firing. The first shade staggered as the crossbow bolt hit it square, and my followup shot nailed it right in the head, causing it and the spectral bolt to explode in a cloud of magic, which was promptly sucked towards the portal room. Cozy hoofpumped next to me – something I heard more than saw as I lined up my next shot.

"Headshot! YEAH!"

I desperately tried not to think about how disturbing it was to shoot what almost looked like a pony silhouette in the head as I locked another target and fired. The shades began running towards the fortress as the second one disappeared, and I almost picked up to run before I remembered Cozy's barricade at the gate.

Keep calm, Sunset. It's just like sniping in games. Calm, just line up the shots...

Three more shades went down before they started getting uncomfortably close to the gate, which was reaffirmed by Cozy saying, "Okay, fall back to the southern wall! I'll stall them for you!"

I hefted my crossbow and dashed down the right-side gate staircase as fast as I could. I heard the first shade rush into the gatehouse, and for a split second I almost panicked and turned around before I remembered it couldn't reach me through the crystal barricade. The only sounds it made were hoofbeats on the ground, and a horrible, quiet rasping noise from it distorting the air around it – a sound I knew I'd be hearing in my nightmares if I made it through the day.

Oh Luna, I can't leave Cozy to fight these things up close! I need to—

I whipped my head around as I was a quarter of the way across the courtyard, just in time to see Cozy, on top of the northern wall, cry triumphantly as she cut two shades down with a single hit from her wings. The look of sheer joy on her face was downright disturbing, but I just turned back to the southern wall and kept running to the fallback position.

Okay, okay, so maybe the shades are the ones who are screwed here. That's good, right? It's a good thing!

Don't focus on the fact that your cousin is kind of a battle-crazed maniac!

I hoofed it (Well, in a manner of speaking, since I was in human form) to the top of the southern wall and set into my firing position. Cozy was still dispatching shades on the northern wall, putting those martial arts lessons to good use; I noted with some alarm that she wasn't only attacking them with her wings, but her hooves as well, yet the dark magic exposure didn't seem to be harming her. The random, errant thought that I had to turn into an actual demon to enjoy fighting that much entered my head as I lined up a shot.

Stop! Cozy enjoys fighting, there's nothing inherently WRONG with that! Ugh! Now's so not the time for this!

I began firing bolt after bolt straight at the corner to the gatehouse stairway, regardless of whether I saw a shade there or not. Between my suppressive fire and Cozy dispatching the last few shades who had gotten past the corner, the north wall was soon clear, and Cozy stood over there visibly panting while I kept up my fire, occasionally taking the head off of a shade that rushed up the stairs.

Seeing that I had the situation in hand, Cozy headed down the staircase to the gatehouse, and took up her position in the courtyard as we'd discussed. At first, I wasn't even sure she would need to fight any more, but the last six shades all came around the corner at once. I managed to hit two of them and destroy one, and I picked another off just before they rounded the second corner and emerged from the gatehouse, but the four survivors all rushed Cozy.

For a second, my blood ran cold as I debated whether it was safe to take another shot so close to Cozy. Before I could even sight in one of them, though, Cozy just gave a beat of her wings, and black lightning arced through the shades, ripping them apart. I blinked a few times, and then set my sights back on the northern wall before I heard Cozy's voice echo up to me from the courtyard.

"Sunset! That's the last of them! We're clear for now!"

I heaved a sigh of relief, and the sudden pain in my chest alerted me that I'd been holding my breath for the last who-knows-how-long. I put my back to the merlon and slid down to the ground, exhausted by adrenaline, and spent a minute simply heaving and trying to stop the shakes.

I can't believe that just happened. I can't believe we just—

Cozy bounded out of the staircase door in front of me, pronking and yelling "WE JUST WON! haHA! Take that, mindless monsters!"

She hoofpumped and smiled at me with a wild glint in her eye. I just raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"Yeah, I think you're going to have to be enthusiastic for both of us, Cozy. I just want to get out of here."

Cozy blew a raspberry at me as I stared in disbelief at her antics. "Spoilsport!"

I shook my head with a bemused expression. "Cozy, you realize we could actually die here, right?"

Cozy nodded with a big, dumb grin. "Yeah, I know. But why would we decide to do that?" She drew herself up on her hind legs and made a very goofy-looking salute as she said, in a voice that could not be taken seriously with her natural squeakiness, "Make them die for their country instead!"

I groaned. "Cozy, they're shades, they don't have a country. We aren't even fighting for our country!"

Cozy snickered and went back on all fours. "We really are, though! Do you want those things in Equestria?"

I paused to think about that, blinking a few times as it processed. "Well, no, but I'd rather fight them there, with all of our friends, rather than out here."

Cozy made a sturgeon expression and mimed stroking a beard with her hoof. "Mmmyeessss, that would be more tactically sound. You make a strong argument. But, counterpoint: Here, I can fry them with lightning, and drop giant crystals on them!"

I fixed Cozy with a stern look. "I told you, dark magic needs to be a last resort,, Cozy."

She just rolled her eyes. Rolled her eyes! About that! "Sunset, you've just gotta see the negative in everything, y'know that?"

I threw my hands up and grinned despite myself. "Okay, you got me! The lightning thing is pretty cool. And I guess it's nice to know I'm not a half-bad shot in real life, either. But how are we going to handle the larger groups?"

Cozy nodded and sat down next to me, pressing into me again. For all the tough talk, she's still shaking from the adrenaline... or maybe just fear.

"I was thinking about that, and I checked them out from the tower. It looks like about three hundred more are headed our way."

I gasped and felt my skin tighten as I got a fresh shot of panic-fueled adrenaline. "Three hundred?! We barely handled twenty just now!"

Cozy snickered. "It was actually twenty three. I took out a lot of them while you were falling back. But... yeah, we need more than this."

"Cozy, you can't burn through any more magic right now. You won't be able to defend yourself!"

Cozy took a sharp breath in as she considered, and then she tilted her head. She rummaged through her bag. I thought she was going to pull out a potion, but instead she produced a small business card, and looked expectantly at a blank wall.

"I sure could use a drink now!"

We both waited for a few tense moments as nothing happened. Cozy Glow cleared her throat.

"I said, 'I sure could use a drink right now!' "

And again, nothing.

Cozy sighed. "Well, that was worth a shot. Okay, guess we're going with 'Plan B.' "

"... Cozy, what was that all about?"

Cozy just shook her head and laughed. "That would take too long to explain, but, uhh... sometimes I can summon a portal with that, is all. I was hoping it could get us out of here, but I guess not."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an imitation of something I'd seen Princess Twilight do. "Okay. I have a lot of questions, but now's not the time. What's Plan B?"

"You saw how all of the magic from those shades got sucked towards the portal, right? Well, let's go see if we can't put some of that to use."

I followed her down the stairs into the portal room. The portal continued to pulse, low and strong, but now there were black streaks swirling around it that had not been there before.

Cozy rubbed her hooves together in an entirely villainous-looking – but actually heroic (I hoped) – fashion. "Alright! Looks like we've got ourselves some spare magic to fortify this place with!"

I coughed. "I hate to sound like a broken record, but it's spare dark magic."

Cozy raised a hoof and proudly declared, "And I am desperately trying not to think about that!"

And with that uninspiring sentiment, she marched up to the portal and carefully extended one wing towards it. The black streaks began to distort in their orbit around the portal, as if magnetically pulled towards her wing; eventually, they tore free of the portal and slipped into her wing, disappearing as they merged with the dark crystal.

Cozy stepped back and strained her wings closed with visible effort. I shuffled uneasily where I stood.

"Are you... alright?"

Cozy took a deep breath and nodded. "Actually, yeah. I thought there would be more to it, but it just made my wings feel heavier." She looked at me and gave a somewhat-amused shrug. "I've given up on figuring this out, but hey, since it works, let's use it!"

And with that cheery thought we set off to review our defenses. After a quick walk around and a check at the tower to see how much longer we had, Cozy and I settled in the courtyard to talk. She shook her head and said, "We're only going to get so far by just putting up these crystal barriers. If we're going to take on bigger numbers, we need to slow them down somehow... and some kind of weapon or trap to use against them would be good."

I nodded, desperately trying to shove down my misgivings about plans that involved intentionally using dark magic. "Right, makes sense." I glanced around the castle. "We have stone... I guess we could try putting some stones up over a passageway, and drop them on the shades as they come in."

Cozy considered that, tapping a hoof to her chin. "But we'd only get one shot at using it..." She stood up and walked over to the center of the courtyard, and began what looked like some sort of slow-dance while opening her wings and gently rotating her wingtips around, almost like she was massaging an invisible orb.

I giggled a bit at the sight. "Cozy, what are you doing?"

She stuck her tongue out to the side as she concentrated. "I'm trying to... see if I can make this weird magic cooperate long enough to do something with it..."

I stood up and walked over, and I spotted small tendrils of black electricity running down her wingtops and slowly weaving together like a spiderweb.

"I don't exactly want to encourage you to use dark magic, but... is there some way I can help?"

"You know Starswirl's translocational matrix, right?"

I leaned back to think. "The short-range portal spell? I never learned it myself – Cozy, that's really advanced magic."

Cozy kept slowly weaving the tendrils together and nodded absently as she did so. "Yeah... but it was a lot easier when I had all that magic from the bell, so I got the hang of it... Dangit, it just won't cooperate! Every time I get the foundation laid out and let go to start on the second layer, it falls apart!"

I blinked a couple of times. "Hey, how does that dark magic react to the crystals? Do the crystals absorb it?"

Cozy looked up at me quizzically. "Huh? No, it just runs around the outside of them."

I grinned down at her. "So, if you laid out the crystal matrix on one of the crystals, it might just stabilize long enough for you to finish the spell?"

Cozy stared at me for a few seconds, then laughed and began forming a crystal a few feet in diameter to work on. "Show-off."

I put my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow. "This from the little filly trying to build a short-range portal with dark magic?"

Cozy snickered slightly as she kept working, and her voice took on a false-sweet tone, "Oooh, I'm sooo sorry not all of us got the fancy unicorn horns and super nice happy friendship magic to work with, missus Celestia's-favorite-daughter!"

I leaned back in surprise and my grin grew wider. Oooh, she's got a lip on her, huh?

"Yeeaaah, that's true, some of us had to work with the magic we were born with rather than getting awesome magical power to experiment with because they happened to get their hooves on some ancient super-powered relic!"

"Well excuuuse me, wannabe-Princess, I didn't know us cloudponies had to just accept what we were born with and be happy with it! My baaaaad."

I folded my arms and suppressed a snicker. "That's right, you should know your place. Silly pegasus with your hand-me-down alicorn powers, I bet you'd just steal cutie marks rather than developing your own skills if you could."

Cozy grinned wildly and her eyes lit up. "Ooo, good idea!"

I just laughed and rolled my eyes at that, leaning forward on my knees. "Dangit, Cozy."

"You shouldn't go giving me ideas like that, Sunset!" She laughed as she finished laying out the groundwork for the spell on the crystal pedestal. "I'll probably end up doing that at some point, then how will you feel?"

I gave her mane a quick ruffle once I was sure the spell was done. "Proud of my heroic, maybe-slightly-evil cousin who doesn't take guff off of anypony."

Cozy blew a raspberry. "Aww, you ruined it." She snickered. "And what do you mean slightly evil? Come on, I nearly destroyed Equestria!"

"Get in line, sister."

"Twice!"

I threw my hands up in mock surrender while rolling my eyes. "Okay, okay, you win. You're officially the worst."

Cozy hoofpumped as she activated the spell, forming two shimmering portals that she slowly began to reposition with her wings. "And don't you forget it! These shades are about to find out, too!"

She giggled in a most-assuredly-not-sadistic fashion as she pronked across the courtyard and began setting up a rockfall trap that would trigger over and over again. "That'll teach Starlight, that showoff. Destroyed Equestria an infinite number of times, that's such a cheap trick!"

I huffed as I followed after her and began loading collapsed stones into the trap's starting point. "Right? Talk about breaking the leaderboards."

Cozy grunted as she hefted a stone. "Tell me about it! From now on time manipulation is off-limits for villains – it's just cheating!"

And with that kind of back-and-forth, we quickly set up our new trap. To add the finishing touch, Cozy added a field of jagged, rough-hewn crystal across the courtyard, forcing the shades to walk slowly across it as well.

"There! Just in time, too – they'll be here in a couple of minutes."

I sighed and wiped the sweat off of my brow with my hand. "You know what, Cozy? This is kind of fun, potential doom aside."

Cozy grinned as she surveyed our work. "Right? Of course, I'm just trying to keep you in a good mood. It wouldn't be fair to these shades if I let you go all Sunset-rage-mode on them."

I scoffed at that. "Hey! Come on, I'm not that bad."

Cozy looked at me with a neutral expression and slowly, skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Sunset?"

I turned my head up and to the side slowly while raising an eyebrow of my own. "Cozy?"

"FlatMan339."

I immediately growled before I could catch myself, and I saw a glint in Cozy's eye. "Hey! He was a total jerk, it's not like I—I just reacted like any normal person would!"

Cozy responded with a sturgeon expression and a slow, placating nod. "Riiiight, sure. And you're definitely not going to rage out on these shades whatsoever."

I rolled my eyes. "Cozy, I'm scared here. This is serious. I'm not going to fly off the handle at a bunch of terrifying dark-magic ghost-monster-things."

"DIE AND STAY DEAD! YOU... STUPID...!" I slammed my crossbow into the shade's face, and while it was reeling from that I shot it in the head, point-blank, three times. The smouldering ash-like cloud it left limped its way towards the portal. I heaved with adrenaline as I looked around, only to spot another shade making a run for the portal.

"Oh NO YOU DOOOON'T!" I sprinted ahead of it while blindly firing shots to stun it, skidding to a halt right in front of it and pelting it with bolts. I wasn't even remotely accurate, but eventually the sheer volume of fire was enough to make it slump over pitifully and burst into a cloud of magic.

I heard Cozy's maniacal laughter, and whirled around just in time to see Cozy pouncing on the last shade from this group and slamming a paving stone down on it, shattering the stone and the shade. "TELL'EM COZY SENT YA! HAhahahahahahaHAA!"

Unable to help myself at the sheer absurdity of the situation, and still shaking violently from adrenaline, I found myself joining her manic giggle-fit for a few moments before we both leaned over to catch our breath. She gave me side-eye and another of those wild grins before she went into a puppy-dog eyes routine and put on the worst possible impression of my voice.

"Oooh Cozy I'm so scawed, I'm not gonna wage-out—!"

"UUUUGH! Oh be quiet, it's not my fault your crossbow's sight is off! I nailed that headshot, there's no way it should have missed! Stupid shade nearly made it to the portal as a result."

Cozy snorted and waved her hoof dismissively. "Oh suuure, blame the magic crossbow with the self-correcting sight, that's, yep, that makes sense!"

I groaned and kept heaving breath for a few moments before responding. "Oh, whatever.. I get why you made me use this thing now!"

Cozy Glow just grinned at me. "Let's set up more traps!"

To my surprise, I found myself grinning right back. "This should be good..."

At least she seems to be in a good mood so far. The dark magic isn't taking the kind of toll I would expect... at least not yet.

We set off to gather the dark magic from the portal, and then review and improve our defenses. Cozy added more of that rough crystal floor to the north wall, so that the shades would move slowly across it and I could pick them off more easily, and then took down the crystals blocking the west hall. I followed her curiously to the rear of the west hall, where she erected two sets of crystal walls to seal off the portal room, and she giggled despite her obvious fatigue.

"Now, the shades will slip into this side hall only to find it's blocked when they get to the back! So they'll have to walk all the way back!"

I hummed as I thought about that, and frowned. "I guess that would buy me more time to pick off the ones left in the courtyard, but what if they somehow break the barrier? They'll be able to get to the portal immediately, and who knows what they'll do with it."

Cozy nodded, panting. "That's why I put two sets up. I should be able to feel it if they start to break one... and besides, I already thought of that...!"

I snickered as I followed her back to the courtyard, then down the main hall that led to the portal. "Of course you did. You're freakishly good at this, you know that?"

Cozy began forming more portals and just gave a shrug as she concentrated. Her voice came out strained. "Contingency plans... are the basis of any robust strategy!"

I watched as she set up a series of portals – she called them our 'emergency portals' – which would be triggered if one of the shades stepped on them, and would fling them the short distance through the crystal wall to the end of the west hall. I had to catch her after she was finished, as she staggered around from sheer exhaustion.

"Cozy, are you alright?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... I think so. Just gotta rest for a bit."

I sighed as I lifted the filly up in my arms and took her to the top of the southern wall – the safest place in the fortress, at this point – and sat down with her in my lap, gently massaging her wings. Judging from the coos she gave in response, they must have been sore from all of the exertion.

She's pushing herself so hard... but what alternative is there? I sighed and said, "I guess it's a good thing the next group is still a little ways off. Do you think it's time to drink another stamina potion?"

Cozy shook her head gently. "No, not yet... I can still fight, but I should rest as much as I can between waves. It gives me time to think of how to improve our defenses, anyway."

I hummed at that, and began thinking on how we could take the shades down more quickly. I thought back to the history of this place I had read, and something occurred to me.

"You know, back when this place was first made, they defended the inner halls using the portal itself. It would release these pulses of magical energy that would run down the eastern and western halls, blasting whatever was in them. I've heard that once it was activated, the portal could even defend itself directly."

Cozy grunted in response. "But the portal's too weak for that now."

I nodded slowly. "True... but the general idea is still good, right? Those halls are a narrow space. If we could put any kind of trap into them that took advantage of that..."

Cozy's eyes opened and she looked at me quizzically. "Like what?"

"Well... have you ever seen Indiana Jones?"

The third wave was right at the gate by the time Cozy felt well enough to really fight again. I had urged her to take a stamina potion, but she kept saying the issue was mana, not physical exhaustion, and refused. I can tell she's just trying to save it in case I need it...

As the first shades rounded the corner to the northern wall and I began picking them off, I did everything I could to block out distractions and focus. I have to pick enough of them off that she can rest for this wave.

And resting was what she was doing, thank the stars. She was on the southern wall with me, watching the enemy's advance and waiting for them to get far enough to threaten the portal before taking action. I was hellbent on not letting that happen, and to my surprise, I was managing it – the rough crystal floor was slowing them down immensely, and I had become a much better shot.

Once the horde thickened and began pushing each other forward, though, I wasn't able to keep up. I became too fixated on trying to pick off whoever was in the front, which meant I stopped dropping nearly as many, and finally had to relent and trust our rock fall trap at the entrance to deal with the shades who got through. Still, there was a satisfaction in dropping dozens of the monsters as they tried to wade through the wall, and I found myself snickering before nudging Cozy as I took another shot.

"Is it wrong that I imagine a sick guitar riff in my head every time I nail a headshot?"

Cozy laughed softly, and took a sharp breath. I started, and glanced down at her to see her blinking her eyes rapidly to clear them.

"Cozy, were you sleeping?!"

She shook her head to clear it and rubbed her forehead. "Umm... not really. Dozing off a little, sorry."

"Cozy, the enemy is right there!"

"I know! I've been watching you mow them down! It's actually kind of relaxing."

I just growled in response as I dropped three more shades in rapid succession. We both watched the first gaggle of shades wade out into the rough crystal beyond the gatehouse stair access, and they slowly pushed together into the area just beyond the gatehouse, bunching up directly on top of the rockfall portal.

Once one of them had passed the centerpoint, a shimmering portal appeared directly above the group of shades, and dozens of flagstones and paving stones crashed down on their heads, smashing them and the rough crystal to bits. Then, a portal beneath them formed, sucking up all of the stones, and snapped shut. The black crystals quickly regrew over the area, and I began picking off the shades that had since poured out of the gatehouse.

"Cozy, how long did you say the reset time for those portals was?"

Cozy yawned and rubbed her right eye. "Should be about fifteen seconds, give or take."

I sucked in a breath and stopped even aiming for headshots – instead, I just kept up rapid fire at the shades to hold them back while the trap reset. I grimaced as some of them began to skirt out to the sides, but I felt Cozy's hoof press into my waist.

"Don't worry, they're headed for the western hall. That should take care of itself. Just keep the ones in the center and the eastern side back."

I nodded faintly as I kept up my fire. Sure enough, the ones on the left swerved into the western hall, and it wasn't long before I cracked a smile at the sound of a heavy boulder – made of black crystal – crushing them as it rolled down the hall. It bounced against the wall near the end of the hall and rolled out of the entrance before a portal opened beneath it and teleported it away. Right after, the rock fall trap went off again, smashing another dozen shades into nothing.

Cozy began giggling manically for a few seconds, and then caught herself. "See? Nothing to worry about! We've got this."

"Yeah," I said, desperately trying to pick off the shades that had immediately flooded into the rockfall area and now threatened to get past, "I guess so, but I can't stop all of them."

Cozy stretched, and I heard audible *POP* sounds from both of her wings and her back. She slowly tilted her neck left and right, eliciting more audible cracks, and sighed. "I know, you weren't supposed to. Don't go pushing yourself too much, Sunset."

I was about to object that she was the one with the over-exertion problem, but she immediately leapt off of the wall and glided down into the courtyard on her wings. That was insanely dangerous! What if her wings had locked up again?!

"Cozy, be more careful!"

"It's fine!"

She gave a beat of her wings, which sent her catapulting down into the lead shade so hard it exploded in a smoke-cloud of dark magic, and immediately cut two more down with swipes from her wings. Whereas the shades moved slowly over the crystal field, Cozy sprang through them with alarming speed, almost as though the crystals were giving her a boost. She reached the enemies crossing the rockfall zone and pounced on the first of them, slamming it into the ground and stomping on it until it popped into a cloud of magic, and then gave a beat of her wings to shove the entire group back just in time for the rocks to crush them all.

Whoa. She was fighting well before, but this is crazy.

I smirked to myself in relief. I guess she knows her own limits. At least she's having... fun?

I looked over at Cozy, but I didn't hear the whoops and shouts she had been giving before. Instead, she looked enraged, and the way she slammed the shades around became increasingly violent and forceful. I watched her tackle a shade in a full-body lock with her back on the ground, tear it in half, and then open her wings to spring her off of the ground and into a flying kick at another one, slamming it into the rough crystal ground and destroying it – and the ground.

Oh, this can NOT be good.

As the crystals regrew, Cozy turned around, saw a group I was preparing to open fire on as they were almost halfway across the courtyard, and gave a chilling howl of rage as she beat her wings; the resulting airblast slammed all of them into the far wall hard enough to destroy all of them. My worries started to get the better of me, and I shouted towards her.

"Cozy! Are you alright?!"

"Sunset, above us! They've got fliers!"

I looked up in a panic, and saw several pegasus silhouettes slowly descending. At first, I thought they were headed for me, but then I realized they were aiming right in front of me – for the entrance to the final hall. My panic immediately twisted into frustration at myself for not noticing them, and then rage that they had pulled such a dirty trick just as we had started to win.

"Oh hell NO YOU DON'T!"

I began picking them off as quickly as I could, but they were both fast and erratic in their movements. Headshots were out of the question unless I stunned them with a body shot first, and it was incredibly difficult to pull off those double-taps faster than they could descend. A small group of them dove at me, and my heart leapt into my throat, only for them to break off as I was momentarily blinded by glare.

I glanced down to realize the crystal-heart necklace was shimmering brightly. Oh... so this wards them away from me. Well, that's some peace of mind, but—!

I shot as fast as I could, hosing the diving group with bolts, but they reached the ground beneath my wall. I almost called to Cozy, whom I'd lost track of, only for a loud eruption to shake the wall I was standing on. An air blast from inside the final hall blew the group back and out of it, and Cozy burst forward, rapidly taking them down.

I immediately returned my attention to the sky, dropping several more of the shades with my crossbow. At this point, I just started aiming for their backs and wings – large targets, and if I hit them, they would drop helplessly out of the sky and crash into the ground. That turned out to be much more effective than trying to hit them in the head or stun them, and after another minute of harsh, frantic combat, the fliers were all down. I scanned the courtyard, but I didn't see anyone.

"COZY?!"

I heard her voice echo up to me from the portal room. "RIGHT HERE, SUNSET! IT'S OVER, WE'RE CLEAR!"

As soon as I heard that, I leaned back off of the merlon, and pain erupted from my chest and arms where I had dug into the stone. I yelped and staggered to the side, then fell, just barely catching myself on my hands and butt without slamming the back of my head into the ground. I dropped my crossbow, and the hoof-crank went off when it hit the ground, sending a bolt into the wall in front of me.

I took a few seconds to just breathe heavily and try not to think of what would have happened if it had fallen a different way. Cozy came rushing up the stairs, eyes full of concern. "Sunset?! Are you alright?"

I shakily nodded, pulling myself up against the walls and resting my back against a merlon. "Y-yeah, just... tired. That was a tough fight."

Cozy hoofed me one of her stamina potions. I was about to reject it, but she shoved it into my hand firmly and fixed me with a serious look. "You've been covering for me while I rested. Drink half of this now, and half later if you get wiped out again, okay? You're doing really well! I can't believe you went this long without one after the spars at the gym and that hike!"

I scoffed, drinking half of the potion as she suggested and capping it. "You know I was one of the best fencers at school, right? It's not like I'm new to working out, Cozy. Besides, I'm just shooting a—" I paused as I suddenly felt a warm sensation run through my body. My exhausted muscles stopped aching, and my mind cleared up like I had just had a long rest followed by gentle calisthenics. I moaned in relief as I rested my head against the merlon, and I heard Cozy giggle as I closed my eyes.

"It's good stuff, right?"

"YeEeEss... Oh, I need some of these for when I'm studying for finals..."

Cozy snorted at that and I felt her press up next to me.

"So... we've got lots of magic to work with after all of that. Got any more crazy trap ideas?"

I cleared my throat, eyes still closed, and considered. "We need something to stop the flying shades—" I am NOT calling those THINGS pegasi, "—and something to catch the ground shades who leak through the rock fall trap and go for the main hall. The emergency portals near the final room should be a last resort – they take too long to reset to stop any large group."

Cozy hummed in agreement. "I'm not sure how to use crystals or portals to stop flying enemies, though."

I chewed my tongue as I thought that over, visualizing all kinds of weird crystal spires and even webs to try to catch the things.

"Well... what if you made sort of an awning? They all head for the main entrance, so if you made some kind of, like... spiderweb awning of crystals there, they couldn't fit through it and would have to land closer to the center of the courtyard. And I could shoot through it if I was careful.

Cozy hummed again. "I guess that would help, but we don't have any good traps when they get back that far. And they might try to fly instead of walk through the last hallway – that would mean even our emergency portals won't catch them."

"Well... what if we had some kind of trap attached to the ceiling instead of the floor? We could use another rock fall... or something..."

Cozy shuffled next to me, and I felt her lift a hoof to her chin. "I guess we could set something up... the rock fall is good for stopping big groups, but we want something reliable for taking out everything that gets that far, or at least most of it. Hmm... like the boulder, but, without the long delay between... hey, I think I have an idea!"

I cracked an eye open at her and smiled. "I knew you would. You're really scary-good at this."

She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who's come up with most of the actual trap ideas, Sunset. I mean, you've even taken out more of the shades than I have. I feel like an over-rated carpenter at this point!" She giggled and I just rolled my eyes before closing them again.

"Stop trying to make me feel better and just tell me what you have in mind, smart-aleck."

Cozy shrugged and glanced back out at the courtyard. "Well, what if I had like, a little boulder on a stick, and it swings back and forth? Like a clock pendulum? It could give anything that passes under a good whack, and trying to fly through it would probably be even more dangerous than trying to walk past!"

My face screwed up as I tried to imagine it, then I laughed. "Cozy, you're describing a mace. Boulder-on-a-stick, pffft."

Cozy stiffened slightly, and giggled nervously. "Oh, yeah. I guess you're right. But yeah! A big mace! If I make it right, it shouldn't lose much speed with each swing, and I can rig up a portal that resets it every once in a while to make sure it keeps going!"

I hummed in thought. "I'm not sure I can visualize that, but if you're confident you can make it work, give it a try."

Cozy left me to rest while she set off to build up our defenses. I hadn't even realized I had dozed off when she shook me awake. I took in a sharp breath and cracked my eyes open, wiping them off. She looked tired, but happy, but that wasn't what caught my attention.

"Cozy! Your right eye, it's turned black again!"

Cozy reeled back at that. "Wait, what?" She rummaged through her saddlebag and pulled out a small mirror. "Oooh, that can't be good."

I reached out to her, placing a hand on the back of her neck and rubbing it softly. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"

Last time this happened, she started seeing hallucinations...

Cozy nodded, her expression perplexed more than anything. "I actually feel fine! I'm not sure what the deal is, but... yeah. Nothing weird has been going on, it's just... Huh. But hey, our defenses are ready! Check it out!"

I hesitantly took my eyes off of her to lean over one of the crenels and look down at the mouth of the final hallway. Just like we had discussed, there was now a web-pattern awning of black crystal over it, with a black-crystal mace swinging back and forth. After a few swings, the mace teleported back up into ready position and began swinging afresh. To my surprise, there were also walls in front of and behind the mace, with gaps on the left and then right sides.

"Did you... build those extra walls to force the shades to weave around under the mace?"

Cozy nodded, still checking out her eye in the mirror. "Uh-huh! And I put that crystal ground there, too, so they're stuck under it for as long as possible. I even put a little extra crystal in the way so fliers will be forced to land."

I giggled despite myself, still trying to handle the stress of seeing Cozy with black crystal around her right eye again. "You really are an evil genius, Cozy."

She giggled and set the mirror away. "Yup! The only problem is that if the mace hits too many shades at once, it will slow down, might even stop. As long as it's just a few getting that far, though, it should take care of them."

I took a deep, steadying breath. "Okay. Alright, good. How's the portal to Equestria coming? We need to get you back to Luna and Celestia as soon as possible."

Cozy nodded slowly, chewing her lip. "It's getting there, but... it probably won't finish charging before the rest of the shades get here."

I sighed. "Cozy, being here and using this magic is clearly doing something bad to you. Is there any way we can speed it up? If we stopped using the shades' magic, would it... I don't know, help?"

Cozy shook her head firmly. "I was looking into it while you slept. I think I know what the shades are here for, now. I recognize the spell being used to charge the portal, too – it's the same one I used when I, uh... nearly destroyed Equestria. The first time. It's sucking in magic from everywhere and making a rift into another world, the same way I did."

I froze at that. "Oh... I'd forgotten about that. No wonder you're so familiar with portal magic..."

Cozy nodded, grimacing and flushing slightly. "Yeah, I was... pretty bad. And I learned a lot about it from Tirek, and the Canterlot Archives, and Starswirl's notes..."

I groaned. "So when you said I was the expert on portal-magic, you were just making me feel better?"

She waved her hooves frantically. "Nonono! You've studied the portal between the human world and Equestria more than anypony! I just assumed this would be that kind of portal! I didn't know somepony else was stupid enough to do what I'd done!"

I sighed, and I cupped her chin and brushed a few hairs that had gotten free of her ponytail out of her face. "Cozy, you're not stupid."

Cozy frowned, looking away and chewing her lip, then took a deep breath and said, "Well, um, the reason the shades are here is to change the portal into something else. They can't enter Equestria through a regular portal, because they're not really... alive? I guess? They can exist here, but trying to go to a, um, a real world like ours would destroy them. That's why they're not super-powerful here like my magic is – the power boost from this place is what keeps them functional at all."

I slowly nodded, thinking it over. "I'd suspected something like that, but it hadn't occurred to me that they couldn't use the portal."

Cozy nodded frantically in my hand. Probably just glad for the subject-change. Her words came out in a rush. "That's the thing, they're trying to gather enough energy in the portal so that something could cross over. Something that wouldn't be able to otherwise! Starswirl wrote about that a lot in his journal about something could potentially escape Limbo if there wasn't some kind of active prison on it!"

I sighed and shrugged, too tired to be surprised or panic. "Well, that sounds about right. So you think they're setting the portal up for whoever – or whatever – is behind this army, then? Do you think it will show up in person before we can get out of here?"

Cozy just shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I can't feel it out there, at least..."

I nodded stiffly, and stood up to stretch. "Well, there's nothing to do but get ready for the next wave. It's going to be bigger than the last one, right? So we've got a tough fight on our hands. We'll have to keep our wits about us."

"Uh... Wow."

Cozy nodded, her expression torn between amusement and confusion. "Yeah."

"I was expecting this to be a lot harder."

We watched as another hapless group of fliers and ground shades stumbled into the swinging mace and were promptly clobbered into smoke. Just as the mace threatened to slow down, it reset and instantly slammed another group into nothing.

This wave had been the first time we saw the giant shades, and at first we had both been terrified. One of them survived the rockfall, and it took several headshots to bring it down. When three showed up at once, we thought it was all over, but between managing to pick two off with my crossbow and the third getting finished off by the mace, things were actually looking up for us.

After fighting hard at first, we both retreated to the portal room to recover and stand against whatever got through our other defenses – except nothing did. Between the rockfall, the boulder, the mace, and the new erupting-crystal spike traps Cozy had hidden all over the field, the shades were dying in droves and we didn't have to lift a finger (or hoof in her case).

Cozy just giggled as the last of the shades just barely managed to stumble past the slowed-down mace, only to step on a spike trap and explode. She looked up at me with a mischievous grin. "And you said we couldn't stop an army with just the two of us!"

I held up my hands in mock surrender, smiling. "Yep, okay, you were right and I was wrong. I mean wow. This almost doesn't feel fair."

Cozy beamed as she watched the mace reset again. "Castle, meet traps! Army, meet castle! And there's just one wave left!"

I nodded, and took a deep breath. "But it will be the biggest by a longshot. We're facing the whole remainder of their army, and they've got a lot more of those giant shades with them. We shouldn't get too comfy, even if this was... uh, kind of a joke."

Cozy nodded and stretched out. "Mmmyep, I know! But don't worry, I've got—" She flicked her hair and gave me her best devious-villain glare, which fell well short of imposing "—plans."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "Okay, well—" "EVIL plans!" "I get it." "Dastardly, horrific plans that will make them cry out for their non-existent mothers!" "Cozy, stop." "Fiiiine."

As we went back to the top of the southern wall to survey our defenses, I glanced at the damaged crystal barricade at the gatehouse and frowned. "What are we going to do about the giant shades smashing up your walls?"

Cozy frowned as well, propping herself up on a crenel with her hooves. "I was thinking about that. I'm probably going to tear all of them down over there, along with the rough ground on the northern wall, and use that magic to build more traps in the gatehouse. I want you to focus on the fliers anyway."

I nodded along with her plan as I settled into my usual spot with my back against a merlon, sitting down. "Alright, that makes sense. Uhh... what if the fliers try coming in through here, though?" I thumbed over at the stairway access to the portal room.

"You said they avoid you, right? So they'll probably stick to the main entrance as long as you're up here, but if something bad does happen, I'll be close by to help cover for you. We can't really block off the staircase, or you would be trapped up here."

I nodded stiffly. "I don't like relying on this necklace so much, but... it has been a huge help. Thank you, Cozy."

Cozy just shrugged and smiled up at me, and went back to surveying the courtyard. I chewed my lip over.

I guess it's now or never...

I gently reached out to brush her hair, eliciting a coo of affection from her as she leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. I closed my eyes to focus, and I activated my geode.

Images of our battles against the shade flickered through my mind. Terror, that one of them will hurt Sunset. Hatred, for myself, for getting her into this situation. Rage, that some new monster was coming for Equestria.

Most of all, disgust and disdain for myself, for relying on dark magic to make up for my own weakness. My own inability to protect the ones I love.

I gasped and yanked my hand back, and I put it to my forehead to steady myself. Cozy looked over at me in concern.

"Sunset, are you alright?"

"Cozy, you've been deliberately feeding your negative feelings to fight?"

Cozy stiffened, and sighed, slouching onto her hooves on the crenel. "I guess you used your spell, huh? Yeah, I have... I figured out that the only way I could use my wings was if I was, like... angry. Or I wanted to hurt something."

I opened my mouth, then snapped it back shut. I leaned against the merlon behind me and rubbed my face, then flopped my hands in my lap.

"What am I supposed to say to that, Cozy? You and I both know it's the opposite of the direction you want to go in, feeding those feelings. But I know you're just going to say that there's no other way."

Cozy sighed heavily. "I don't know, maybe there was another way. Maybe if I'd had more, like, trust in love magic or whatever, we could have gotten through like that."

I closed my eyes as I rested my head against the smooth, cool stone. "Why didn't you try, then?"

Another sigh. "I don't know. A big part of it was just how finnicky that kind of magic has been for me... this was something I knew I could do, and... I could say as a strategist, that was why. Reliability."

"... But?"

"But I think I was just waiting for an excuse like this anyway," she said, miserably. "I'm so tired of trying to... stuff my feelings down all of the time. Block out all of the negative and pretend it doesn't exist. I wanted to just... I don't know, magically be better after what happened with Bree. What happened with you. I wanted to... I knew somepony loved me. Really knew it, really understood it, and it was so... I was so happy, I didn't want to ruin it by still being..."

She trailed off, and I looked over at her, with her head downcast and eyes closed.

"... By still being upset?"

"No, by still being me!" she shouted, suddenly stiffening. She grimaced and shied away. "Sorry... I've just felt like the world made a mistake ever since all of this started."

I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, keeping myself alert to any sounds of the approaching horde while we talked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... it feels like this is all wrong. Like I accidentally slipped and fell into a timeline, or a world, or whatever, meant for somepony else. Somepony better! Somepony who deserves to be loved by Mom, or by you, or by anypony. I just ended up here and I just felt like such a fake pretending that I'm the pony you all seem to think I am."

I gently reached over and nudged her until she looked at me. Tears were glistening in her eyes – I noted with some alarm that the ones in her right eye were purple, but pushed that aside. "Cozy, you know I can see your memories and feelings. I know who you are."

Cozy just shook her head and sniffled, wiping her eyes. "All of that anger and hatred you're telling me to let go of is who I am, Sunset."

I winced. "T-that's... There's love in there too, Cozy."

Cozy nodded idly, playing with a pebble on the crenel. "Yeah. Go figure, the two aren't really as opposite as folks say. It's like they feed each other... at least for me.'

We sat there in silence as I contemplated what to say, until we heard the first rumbling of the approaching army. Cozy stood up straight.

"Time to set up our final traps."

I nodded, standing up and hefting my crossbow. "Cozy, I just want you to know... whatever happens, I'm not going to give up on you."

Cozy glanced at me as she turned to head downstairs. "I know, Sunset. Thanks."

And she still doesn't think she deserves it...

The wave started easily enough. Four giants made their way into the gatehouse with a huge press of regular shades, but the first mace and rockfall wiped them out. I had my hands full picking fliers out of the air, but thankfully they only came in groups of four or five at a time, and I had enough practice by then to pick them off with ease before they even reached the ground.

The problems started after that. Giant after giant poured in, stopping the mace cold and weathering the rockfall trap. Cozy dashed back and forth across the courtyard, and her vicious snarls and high-pitched cries were a constant backdrop to the sounds of chaos coming from below. I did my best not to get distracted and look, even when I heard the occasional thunderclap that told me she had used a dark magic burst to wipe out the invaders.

We each had our roles, and I tried to simply focus on the fact that this would be the end of it.

In the end, the press was too much, and we were both forced back into the portal room. Things were much easier, there – by the time the horde reached the second mace, they were thinned out significantly, and very few got through that and my crossbow shots. Cozy easily dispatched the weakened stragglers who managed to push all the way through, though at one point she was overwhelmed and two of them got to our emergency portals.

She staggered back to my side, breathing heavily, and I spared a glance down at her while I kept taking shots.

"Cozy, you're bleeding!"

"I know!"

I kept firing in a panic while she heaved another breath. "Sunset, can you hold them for a second? I have a healing potion in my bag!"

I shouted an affirmation and shot a giant in the head three times, causing it to stagger and fall back onto a spike trap that finished it off. Cozy rushed up the stairs, and I squared off, growling and loosing shots as fast as I could at the shades.

My stomach dropped when I saw a large push of them force their way through the second mace. I glanced at the emergency portals, but I knew that could only stop a couple of them at best. I rapidly shot all of the small shades in front, and I flinched as a giant charged at me, only to fall through the first emergency portal.

This isn't working! "COZY!"

I began spraying panic-fire shots into the crowd that was squeezing down the hallway, and it felt like the blood in my hands was turning to ice. Two more shades fell through the floor, and the remaining press got close enough for me to hear that hideous rasp they made. I cried out in rage and slammed my crossbow into one of them, sprawling it back into the crowd and tripping two more, before I desperately fired at the rest and backed up – right into the dais the portal was centered on.

I slipped and fell on my rear, just inches from the deadly mass of unformed magic, and kept panic-firing as the necklace Cozy had given me flashed dangerously – but not nearly as brightly as before. The shades took a step back, but were about to press back in when I heard a deafening thundercrack echo off of the walls around me, and black lightning tore through them.

Cozy rushed to me from the southern-wall access stairs, panic clear on her face. "Sunset, are you alright?!"

I nodded, pushing back up to my feet and breathing in short bursts. My voice came out airy and weak. "Are there any more?"

She shook her head. "That was the last of them. Phew... they almost got us right at the end, there, huh?"

I nodded shakily, wearily, and set my crossbow aside, sitting down with my back to one of the crystal spires on the corner of the dais. "Finally... it almost felt like that nightmare would never end."

Cozy was just smiling and nodding when she suddenly took on a worried expression and glanced out at the hallway. I groaned.

"Oh, for pony's sake. What is it now?"

Cozy growled slightly. "I think whoever was in charge of that army is headed our way. Whoever it is, they're packing a lot of dark magic."

I groaned, reaching over for my crossbow. "So, what, do we just let them run into all of the traps?"

Cozy shook her head. "That's not going to work. They're flying at us, fast, and I don't think dark-magic traps are going to do much to them..."

"What about the rockfall? That should still work, right?"

Cozy grumbled. "If we had time to set one up in here, maybe, but they're probably not going to walk through the front gate when they can just land in the courtyard. Come on!"

I watched Cozy rapidly absorb all of the black streaks from the portal, and then run around absorbing all of her traps and designs back up as quickly as possible. As tired as I was, I struggled to keep up with her, and eventually yelled out, "Cozy, what are you doing?!"

"We can't have them absorbing all of this stuff! They'd be unstoppable!"

I groaned as I followed her out into the courtyard, and in just a minute, all of the defenses we had worked so carefully on were gone without a trace. When Cozy came back from the northern wall, her symptoms had gotten worse – now there were black crystals on the tip of her left ear and the right side of her jaw, and several black streaks that looked like cuts or scabs on her back and flank.

... All of the places where she has scars and memories of being hurt. I sighed, and frowned at her as she walked up.

"It's gotten a lot worse, Cozy."

She just nodded sheepishly. "I know. I can feel it."

I shook myself to get a grip on things. "Okay, well, what's the plan?"

Cozy nodded stiffly. "I know who we're up against, it's—"

We were both interrupted as a figure slammed down into the courtyard. She was jet-black aside from two draconic, teal eyes, her starry blue mane, and dark-blue armor, and snarled at both of us.

Wait, is that Nightmare Moon?!

Nightmare Moon roared at us, "COZY GLOW! I can't say I'm SURPRISED to see you here, wielding dark magic and returning to your old ways. It was a mistake to EVER take you in—"

Cozy gave one heavy beat of her wings, sending Nightmare Moon skidding back towards the gatehouse, and rubbed her ear. "Good grief that was loud."

"Cozy! That's not really Luna, this must be—"

Cozy waved a hoof at me dismissively. "It's an illusion, I know. Here, watch."

Cozy gave another beat of her wings, and an inky black cloud spread out from them in all directions. The world looked like it was being twisted up in a blender for a moment, and then everything around us shattered. What was underneath was... the same, except Nightmare Moon wasn't there at all.

Cozy just gave an irritated snort. "Sombra sent his nightmares ahead of him, I guess."

I stiffened and felt my free hand dig into my hip. "Sombra? Is that who's behind all of this?"

Cozy shrugged. "Somepony must have brought him back, but it seems like he's the one who made the army. He's on his way."

"Cozy, we can't fight him!"

"I KNOW!" Cozy flinched from her own outburst, and scoffed, shaking her head. "I know. We need to get out of here now. I think I have enough dark magic from all of those shades to force the portal open early – let's go!"

We turned and ran for the portal room, and I quickly yelled to her, "Why didn't I get my own nightmare from Sombra? Twilight said it targets each person individually!"

Cozy grunted as she responded, "The crystal heart! It must have helped – is there any magic left in it?"

I frantically reached down and lifted it to see. The light inside had gone from a brilliant white and rainbow hue to a low, dim crimson. I paled. "Barely!"

We stopped in front of the portal, and Cozy immediately began weaving magic with her wings. Sweat poured down her face as she worked, but soon enough I saw the portal begin to take on a black border, and spread out to the edges of the nexus. A tiny pinhole appeared in the center where I could see Ponyville.

"Sunset, listen, you need to get out of here! Without that necklace, Sombra could mind control you or who-knows-what. I can't cover for you while fighting him!"

I looked up from the necklace, feeling a sudden spike of outrage. "Cozy, you are not staying here to fight him!"

Cozy grimaced hard as she forced the portal to widen. "This is exactly what he wants! If I open the portal this way – with dark magic – he can cross back over into Equestria, and he'll be a lot stronger this time! I have to close it from this side!" Her voice rose in volume until it started to crack and squeak, and she growled in response.

I stomped a foot down and hefted my crossbow. "Cozy, there is absolutely no way I am leaving you here!"

Cozy stopped what she was doing, panting heavily, and looked up at me. She slowly smiled – a warm, genuine smile.

"Thanks, Sunset."

I nodded, and lifted my crossbow as I looked back at the gatehouse, only to feel an impact against my hip as she swatted me in line with the portal with her wing.

"Cozy, NO—"

With a beat of her wings, a windblast sent me flying through the portal, down the all-too-familiar rainbow tunnel. My yells echoed off of the walls of Limbo as I watched the portal slam closed from her side.

DAMNIT!

If You're Lucky

View Online

I staggered away from the portal, and then drew myself up to full height. I retrieved my bag from the southern wall, and drank down my last stamina potion, along with a Soulfire potion to temporarily supercharge my magic. I straightened my back out and held my head high as I marched out to the courtyard, squaring off. Rain was just beginning to fall, and I breathed deeply and slowly, calming my heart and mind.

I knew that Sunset would rush off to get help, and that if I could stall Sombra long enough, the portal would open again and they would save the day. I also knew that, in all probability, if I had not beaten him by then he would either kill me or use me as a hostage against my family.

Beat the villain. Save the day. Get home in time for dinner.

The simplicity of that mission statement cooled my nerves, and I took another deep breath of the scent of fresh rain. When I opened my eyes again, Sombra was standing on top of the southern wall, staring down at me.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Some new pony hero has come to challenge me?" He gracefully leapt from the parapets and landed imposingly in front of me, striding forward close enough he wouldn't have to shout for me to hear him. I noted the alicorn amulet clasped around his neck without comment.

"I'm impressed you dealt with my army, but there isn't a pony alive that can stop my return! You should submit now – perhaps I'll have mercy on that friend of yours that was helping you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, I didn't notice before, but you sure have a nice voice."

Sombra opened his mouth, processed what I said, and scoffed, tilting his head at me slightly. "Excuse me?"

I shrugged. "It's just an observation. Like, the whole outfit, the voice, you've just got a lot of style. From one villain to another. Just take the compliment."

Sombra grinned, showing off an impressive set of fangs. "Oh, a villain? You certainly look the part, but then why are you here? Why stand in my way?"

I fixed him with a bored stare. "It's just a territorial dispute. Equestria is mine, and I'm not going to hand it over to a dead pony."

Sombra sneered at that. "Yes, I heard about how that Sombra disgraced himself. But I—"

"You're from an alternate timeline, and you aren't even real. I get it."

He recoiled slightly, and raised an eyebrow with another cocky grin. "Very well informed, I see."

I gave a little shrug. "Where's your partner? Did you leave her up on the wall?"

Sombra growled at that, and I pressed on. "You know the one." I raised my voice so it would carry up to the wall. "Cozy Glow? I know she must be here – nopony else would have known how to cast the spell powering the portal. Good call leaving her up there, though – she's completely useless in a fight!"

Right on cue, Cozy Glow popped out over the parapets, buzzing in place and screwing her face up in rage. "HEY! I am not useless!"

I fixed Sombra with a knowing grin, and he grimaced and rolled his eyes in response to his partner's antics. He fixed me with a level gaze, and returned to his cocky grin. "So tell me, then – hero, villain, whatever you are. What's your name?"

"I'm Quillon. And, just so you know, you can't become real – it's impossible. I don't know what your boss told you, but that portal will only let you exist for a little while as a shadow creature. You'll fall apart before long."

I knew that was how it would normally work, but I strongly suspected they had some way around that, and hoped that needling him would get the answers I needed. Either way, the last thing Equestria needed was a vengeful shade of Sombra with nothing to lose wandering around – or one of me, for that matter.

Sombra shook his head. "You're a naive one, Quillon. I don't need your world! I can rule over my world!"

I sighed. "So that's what they promised you. But fake timelines disappear. They can only stay stable for a little while. Did you know that?"

Sombra just laughed – a ringing and melodic sound that was so deeply at-odds with his sinister behavior. "Of course! But that's not a concern for us. Now, if you're quite done trying to educate me..." he fixed me with a menacing glare, and his eyes glowed red and green, "... get out of my way."

"Oh, I'm not just going to educate you..." I slowly lowered myself into a fighting stance. "I'm going to school you, you second-rate, two-bit magician."

Sombra roared and loosed a blast of pure dark magic from his horn. I charged straight through it, blocking with one wing while the other beat as hard as I could manage in the opposite direction, pouring dark magic and the magic from the Soulfire potion into the motion to such an extent that sparks erupted from my wing, eliciting a cry of pain I hoped sounded more menacing than pathetic.

A thunderous, deafening crash shook the entire castle as I took off towards him, the ground behind me shattering from the sheer force of it. All the black magic I had absorbed was screaming to get free, and the result was every movement was exaggerated. His blast melted against my wing and merged with it, and in a split second I was directly in front of him, his face just starting to register shock.

"SINKHOLE!"

I slammed a hoof into the ground, and the ground beneath his hooves disappeared, causing him to sink a couple of inches – then, black crystals erupted around them, locking him in place.

"STUN!"

I slammed him in the chest with one of my wings, with enough force that the amulet he was wearing shattered, and the backblast kicked up a dustdevil behind me.

"FLYING HYDRA PUNCH!"

I stomped the ground, pouring so much black magic into the strike that a pillar of crystal shot me upwards, directly hoof-to-chin with the would-be shadow king. His upper body separated from his hooves, which dissolved into black mist, and as we rocketed into the sky, the rest of him did as well. I cursed, realizing he had only been temporarily stopped by my attempt at an alpha strike.

But that still bought me enough time to swoop down on the terrified, fake Cozy Glow, who was just realizing the danger she was in and scrambling to get away. I pinned her down on top of the northern wall, and concentrated power into my right wing.

The effort nearly knocked me unconscious, but I managed to tear open a portal to the aether, where pure chaos would dissolve magical constructs like her, rather than risk her proving ephemeral like Sombra had. Cozy stared at the portal for a second, and then waved her hooves frantically up at me, giving me the fake puppy-dog eyes routine I knew far too well.

"Nononono! They forced me to help them! You wouldn't hurt an innocent foal, would you?!"

I scoffed at that, tossed her towards the portal, and gave her a solid buck straight into it. I heard her high-pitched screech as the portal closed, and screamed "GOOD RIDDANCE!" in turn. I felt a pang in my chest, like something had snapped, and it caused me to freeze up for a moment, staring at where the portal had closed.

I heard Sombra reform on the wall behind me, his voice rich with incredulity.

"I must say, I didn't expect a defender of Equestria to dispatch a child so casually. Even a self-proclaimed villain such as yourself."

I stared at where the portal had shut for a few moments more, and discretely let a little of my magic leak onto the ground where he couldn't see. "That wasn't a child, or Cozy Glow. It was just a memory of a nightmare, no more real than your shades—" I turned and fixed him with a stern glare, "—or you. Besides, I guarantee she had it coming."

"Oho." His mouth opened in a wide, menacing smile. "I take it you have history with that one. It's rare to see such pure hatred."

"You could say that." I took a deep, steadying breath, and decided to stall for more time. "I'm the original."

Sombra's eyes widened, first in surprise, then in recognition, and his smile disappeared as he looked me over. "Ahh... I see. You've changed much since Grogar brought us together, Cozy Glow. And how did teamwork turn out for you?"

I grinned. "Great, actually. If the real you had joined us, he'd probably still be alive."

"Oh?" Sombra glared at me and lowered his stance, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "That's not what I heard."

I snickered, keeping my eyes locked on him. "Oh, so whoever summoned you knows about the Battle of the Bell. Which means they're not from your timeline."

Sombra's eyes shot wide, then narrowed as he grinned again. "... Now I understand why you were such a threat to Equestria. But you're no threat to me – you've shown your cards already! I know I can't best you with dark magic, but you can't hurt me with it, either! And that means it's only a matter of time before I wear you down."

I snorted derisively, even though he was precisely right. "You're all talk, and not enough walk, Sombra. Not that I mind – seriously your voice is just way too smooth for a ruthless villain."

Sombra growled. "You're stalling. Expecting help? Well, I'll finish you off before they get here – unless you surrender now, and let me open the portal. What do you say, Cozy?"

I hesitated, weighing my options in my mind, and focused on him as a plan began to formulate.

"Beautiful on the outside, rotten on the inside."

Sombra raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You."

Sombra growled and fired off another dark-magic blast, which I idly deflected with my wing. He let out a frustrated yell, "What is your obsession with my appearance and voice?!" He charged at me, but swerved off when I raised a wing and began distorting space to form a portal like the one I had thrown fake-Cozy into. I snorted.

"What's yours? That armor doesn't protect you; that cape doesn't keep you warm; that crown wasn't given to you by loyal subjects. It's all fake! You don't even need that fancy horn! Even the real Sombra had a fake body, and you're just a fake of a fake. So why put all the effort into the details?"

Sombra circled with me, watching for openings, and sneered. "And I suppose you're going to give me some tripe about how you're ugly on the outside, but beautiful on the inside?"

I gave him a nightmarish smile as I let the dark magic I had been storing flood all over me and around me, just as he stepped onto the trap I'd left on the ground while my back was initially turned to him.

"No, Sombra. Unlike you, I know I'm a monster."

I struggled to yank my hooves out of the juvenile sinkhole trap I'd stepped into just as I finished speaking, and looked up to see a horrific shadow overtake Cozy's face, distorting her smile into a fanged green-and-black monstrosity.

"No, Sombra. Unlike you, I know I'm a monster."

The shadow spread out from her, engulfing everything around us, and I growled and loosed a dispel to clear it away.

Except nothing happened. I yanked my forehooves again, only to accidentally rear up and stagger back, as I was no longer trapped. I roared in frustration.

"YOU CANNOT TRAP ME WITH NIGHTMARES! I am the KING of nightmares!"

I charged magic into my horn, trying repeatedly to free my mind from whatever phantasm this upstart dark mage had inflicted on me, but nothing worked. I growled and squared off.

"Your cheap tricks won't protect you from me! Show yourself!"

I heard her manic, deranged giggling echo all around me, denying me any chance to pinpoint her location. Her voice echoed in my head, and the sensation made me nauseous.

"The king of nightmares? Wow, talk about self-important, tryhard titles. If you truly understood nightmares, Sombra, you'd know they come for all of us... especially the ones who try to inflict them on others."

I scoffed at the impudent brat. This fool thinks to lecture me? There is no greater master of nightmare magic than I! I'll show her!

Her voice came back to me, and I felt an icey sensation through my body as I registered her words. "Oh yes, do show me. Show me how your mastery over nightmares rivals that of Luna, the original guardian of dreams."

"You... you aren't just projecting a nightmare, you've infected my mind!"

More of that infernal giggling. "Whoopsie! Guess I let that slip. But you're right, we're in here together now."

I slammed a hoof on the nonexistent ground. "What do you think to gain with this ploy? You stole Luna's power and believe it will work against me? I fear NOTHING!"

I heard the runt tutting at me, and I fired off several blasts of dark magic into the void, fruitlessly. "Fear? See, I keep saying it, but that's the problem with you magic-types. So obsessed with your special power, you forget to use your brains..."

A new voice caught my attention. "Sombra? Where are we?! What is this?!"

I looked over to the side and saw a purple unicorn there I hadn't seen in... centuries. My heart leapt to my throat.

"Hope? What... what are you...?"

The deranged filly's voice echoed around us again, provoking visible fright from Hope. "Ooooh, who do you see, who do you see?"

I roared in fury. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME WITH PETTY ILLUSIONS!" I fired off a dispelling beam at Hope, only for her to be blasted back and crumple to the ground instead of disappear. I froze on the spot, the sheer horror of what I had done and seen working its way through me. "What...?"

"OH, nice shot! All I had to do was pretend she wasn't really here, and POW!" She punctuated her speech with another sadistic giggle. "Sooo predictable."

I slowly made my way over to Hope. She was groaning in pain and singed, but not seriously hurt. I turned her over, fighting to push down the horror and confusion.

"Hope? How are you here...?"

Her expression was no less confused than I felt. "I have no idea!" She coughed and slowly regained her footing with my help. "Why did you shoot me?! And..." She looked me over, and her expression grew more and more concerned. "What happened to you?"

I opened my mouth and closed it, and pulled her into an embrace. "There are no words..."

As I held her, I watched the shadows recede from all around us. We were in the courtyard, rather than on the wall, and Cozy stood there, staring at us.

My timeline warp spell broke apart as my concentration was broken, shunting us back near where we had come from. I stared at the two of them for a while, and then sighed and sat down.

"She can't follow you into Equestria, and she can't enter your original timeline, either. The only place you two can be together is here – and both of you will fade sooner or later. You understand that?"

Sombra had closed his eyes as he held Hope close, but opened them to look at me as I spoke. He nodded slowly. "I... understand. This is your offer."

I groaned. "It wasn't meant to be. I was just going to destroy you, but..." I scuffed the ground in frustration. "I was in your head. I know what you felt. I pulled her from your memories – from another false timeline that you're still attached to."

Sombra opened his mouth to respond, but Hope was the one who spoke first. "I don't understand what you're saying... you mean neither of us is real?"

I nodded at that, and looked off to the side. "Yeah, you're both just... memories. Or, I don't know... I guess you're more like facets of the original pony. A decision they didn't make, a life they didn't lead."

Sombra fixed me with a quizzical look. "And if the original is gone? What does that make us?"

I threw my hooves up in frustration. "I don't know! Where do ponies go after they die?"

Hope shook her head. "What do you mean? Why did you bring that up?"

"Because that's what this is! Enjoy your afterlife, leave us alone. Deal?"

Sombra disengaged from Hope and strode up to me, eying me curiously. I avoided his gaze as I fought to keep my warring feelings under control, to keep my thoughts locked down like I had during our fight. After a few moments, he spoke.

"Something happened to you when you destroyed your other version, didn't it?"

I just grunted in response, but he kept staring at me. Finally, I looked up at him and groaned. "Yes, okay? I thought false timelines were just... like, dream worlds. But they're more than that. They're parts of us. You may not be the real Sombra, but you're a part of him that's still in this..." I gestured all around us, "This freaky multiverse we live in. And she was a part of me. It's not that he's dead, it's that you're dead – but a part of you is still exploring, like... possibilities. Ways stuff could have gone. Okay? That's all I got! That's the best I can explain it."

Sombra regarded me coolly for a few moments, and looked back at Hope, who was watching the exchange with visible confusion. "So you're saying I should explore this possibility, rather than one where I dominate Equestria?"

I scowled at him. "That's not even on the table here. You keep trying to cause trouble, and I will stuff you into the aether, and unlike the real Sombra, you won't survive there for an instant. But yeah, you agree to stay here with her, I'll leave both of you alone."

Sombra scoffed at my threat, but addressed Hope next. "What about you? Don't you have a home she tore you from?"

Hope fidgeted in place. "Actually... I was trapped in some kind of shadow world before. Then you just appeared out of nowhere."

Sombra looked at me with an obvious question, and I grumbled. "I pulled her from a bad timeline where you had died and she had gotten herself stuck in a freaky umbral prison looking for you. I didn't feel like she was going to get much out of exploring that possibility. Like, her future was literally just being trapped there until she faded away."

Sombra thought that over, looking between the two of us, and spat a curse. "Fine. I, King Sombra, will spare you, and your Equestria, little pony. Be grateful."

I threw my hooves up in disgust and groaned. "Oh whatever."

He snickered at that, and turned to walk towards Hope, but he paused and looked back at me. After a moment's hesitation, he drew himself up to look as regal as he could, and said, "I do like the new look, by the way. Fits this more... merciful side of you."

I thought back to my black-eyed, black-winged, nightmare-faced appearance and gave him side-eye. "Okaaaay...?" Then I perked up. "Oh! Before I go, can you tell me who summoned you?"

Sombra just shook his head. "They didn't reveal themselves. They merely paired me with that obnoxious brat – no offense—" "None taken." "—and told me my circumstances as a creature of an offshoot timeline. They communicated strictly through magic. We were told to open this portal and go to Equestria, where we could retrieve something that would give them the power to sustain our timelines indefinitely, though they didn't say what, precisely. They also promised to wreak vengeance on those ponies who stopped us before. We were supposed to get more instructions when we crossed over."

I groaned and rubbed my temples. "Oh my stars it's like I really am up against another me. How paranoid is this pony? Ugh, whatever. Fine. If that's all, I'm leaving."

Sombra quirked an eyebrow at that. "The portal is not yet ready."

I rolled my eyes and dusted myself off. "It's ready enough, if we can pretend that portals in the dark void are like barroom doors."

"Hm?"

"I could really use a drink right now." With that, I marched off to the portal and prepared to hijack it for purposes poor Starswirl could never have imagined.

They Come Back

View Online

The silver bell at the entrance chimed, alerting Sunset to a new customer. A quick glance at the calendar showed that nothing was planned ahead, so this was one of her special one-on-one guest experiences.

She smiled, pulling out a menu and setting it at the bar as the familiar sound of hooves followed the closing of the door. So it was a pony… familiar? Or an unknown? The few seconds guessing was always fun, and even if she had never seen a penguin-pony amalgamation, she'd still keep practicing Alice's suggestion to imagine at least three impossible things before breakfast… and maybe-hoping that one of them might walk through the door.

What she got… was a bit of both. The pony was familiar. Even though many aspects of her body had changed a little, such as her height being closer to an adult pony, or her mane being tied into a pony-tail, she could tell this was Cozy, but… what wasn't a normal change was that Cozy was semi-transparent. Like a crystal pony.

Magic and emotions cascaded around her guest as she took a stressful glance around, barely relaxing as she made her way to the bar and sat on one of the stools. Sunset took a deep breath. "Oh boy. What happened this time, Cozy?"

Cozy closed her eyes and rolled her neck, popping it while taking a deep breath of the scent of the bar. She sighed and grinned apologetically up at Sunset. "I hope you're feeling patient today, Sunny, I think I might start rambling."

Sunset shrugged. "I've literally got eternity. So don't hold back on my behalf, Cozy. But let me get you something to calm your nerves. Anything on the menu strike your fancy?"

"Something strong! Oh, and sweet." Cozy giggled and swatted the bar, sending her stool into a spin while she thought. Then she caught herself and looked at Sunset, still grinning. "Oh, and I killed myself! It was good times."

"Well that sounds like a fun way to scar your psyche," Sunset said, shaking her head. "I'll get you a spiked Butterbeer and we'll see how you feel from there."

She headed over to pour some ice brandy into the large stein she had for moments like these, then filled it up to the brim with butterbeer straight out of Hogsmeade, while Cozy just kept spinning around on her stool and occasionally giggling. Once ready, she carried it over to the filly—no, young mare, and set it in front of her. "Here you go."

Cozy halted herself and set a small sack of bits on the bar with a warm smile. "Thanks, Sunset." She took a long pull of the drink and relaxed on her stool, shuddering slightly as the warm sensation worked its way down into her. "Ooooh, that's going to help. I really pushed myself, this time."

Sunset gave her a look. "Cozy, you're just covered in magic. And I don't mean it in the regular pony sense. It's not under control, and it's just leaking over. I'm assuming you're here before talking to your mom about this, right?"

Cozy nodded, a little sheepish. "Y-yeah, I came here because I wasn't ready to talk to them all, yet..." She cleared her throat carefully, swinging her rear legs back and forth under the stool while propping her head up on the bar with her forelegs. "I didn't really want them to see the worst of the backlash... Sorry for dumping that on you, instead."

Sunset smiled, reaching over and leaning over the bar so she could press her forehead against Cozy's for a moment, eliciting a giggle as Cozy pressed into the touch. "It's okay. What are friends for?" She leaned back, placing her hands on the bar. "I figured you'd need to let out a lot of things before seeing them… and I wouldn't turn you back and send you to your mom in this state…" She hesitated. "I don't think Luna would be too understanding if you showed up with such an extreme case of magic backlash." She reached over to fill a second stein. "Want to talk about it?"

"Sure!" Cozy giggled again, rubbing her forehead. "I liked that. Having no horn is nice!" She snickered and gave her mug a quick spin before draining it. "But, y'know, Mom would be totally awesome about it. She always is." Cozy's grin turned sloppy as she stared off into the middle distance. "I just don't wanna worry her unnecessarily."

"Well, gathering your thoughts and making sure you can tell her in a rational way what happened would help," Sunset said, "I can't count the times that made a difference when Lena or the other girls would come back from some crazy adventure. So, tell about it. What happened that caused… this? Last time you were here you were at least opaque."

Cozy sighed and gave a roll of her eyes, at herself. "Yeah, I guess I really did try to keep everything bottled up before. Sorry about that..." She gave her mug another twirl before pausing and noticing her hoof. A few moments passed with her simply staring at it before slowly unfolding her wings and inspecting them.

"Uh... that's new." She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof for a few moments before she suddenly started giggling. "Ooooh! That's what Sombra meant! Well that makes a lot more sense!" At that, her giggles continued uncontrollably for a few seconds.

"Yep," Sunset said. "Seems like there was a lot going on. So what did the Dracula wannabe say?" she asked. "Dracula is… a vampire. Sometimes depicted with an over-the-top hairdo."

Cozy pointed at Sunny. "The other you made me read that book! I know who Dracula is!" At that she snorted and had to suppress another giggle-fit. "But he said I looked good like this! Say what you want about Sombra, he knows style! I'll take it." She gave her stool another spin.

Sunset shrugged. "Well, he had to be good at something."

"With that voice we should totally hire him to, like, narrate stuff or something. Seriously, what's with his voice?!" Cozy giggled some more as she spun.

"I'll have to introduce you to Red some day, so you have a better example," Sunset said, "but speaking of narrating, how come you were hanging out with toothy?"

Cozy paused her spinning and leaned back on the bar. "Oh, you know how it is. You try to sneak away to have a fun day with your best friend, then the most annoying kid in school just has to come crash it and cause trouble. And she brought Sombra!" Cozy laughed openly at that, holding her ribs, and then got herself under control. "Oh, uh, sorry. The joke was that I showed up – another me, I mean – and Sombra did, too. Uh, after we fought his shadow army. Me and the other Sunset, I mean." Cozy paused to think for a moment. "Oh, wow, I have a lot to fill you in on, don't I?"

Sunset poured herself a shot. "Yes. Is this why you meant you killed yourself? Or was that a reference to some obscure thing kids say these days?"

Cozy nodded. "Yep, that's what I meant! But don't worry," she grinned wildly, "I'm pretty sure nopony'll miss her!" At that, she cackled malevolently, then waved a hoof. "I mean, I'd been meaning to get around to that for a long time now, but, y'know, living kept getting in the way." She snickered at that and then forced herself to calm down again. "I mean, you know how awful I was in the past, right? I just really..." After a brief pause for dramatic effect, she had to suppress another snicker to squeeze out, "really beat myself up over it!" She couldn't stop herself from laughing at that one, and sent her stool for another spin while she got over it.

Sunset considered Cozy. As the young mare spoke, the ambient magic around her reacted. She sounded cheerful, but the magic around her was not stable; certain parts of the magical aura were stronger and spread around her like a web of magical strands around her entire form. When she spoke about what she had done, little strands of magic would emanate a red or black aura, contrary to the cacophony of ever-shifting colors the magical spillage had taken since she had walked into the bar.

It was cleary distressing for her, despite her attempts to appear cheerful, and whatever the smile tried to hide, the magic exposed. "Cozy, this wasn't just an alternate version of you… and even if it was, you can't just pretend that it's okay to murder yourself." She reached over to take a hold of one of Cozy's hooves. "Come on, talk to me. I'm not going to judge you."

Cozy paused as Sunset spoke, and froze as she took her hoof, thinking. For a few moments, the lightshow around her died down, and she took a long, deep breath before responding.

"It's not like... I'm not really upset over what happened. She was just a shade from an alternate timeline, it's not like she was a real, full person – she would have faded out in a few months anyway. But... when I killed her, I connected with her. I saw the alternative life she had explored, in jumps and flashes. It wasn't all that different from mine, but the ending..."

Cozy shrugged and sighed. "Getting killed off without a second thought by my future self is a memory I'll have to live with. It really, really could have been me. That's all." Cozy snickered. "But I had to get the jokes out now, because it's not like I could say that stuff around Mom or the other Sunset – they'd totally worry about me!"

Sunset chuckled. "It does make sense in a way not to stress-joke at them. So, why did you end up doing that? Why just… you know, casually dispose of your old-self-shade?"

Cozy fidgeted in thought for a few moments. "Well... she was there to help Sombra invade Equestria. And like I said, it wasn't like she was real. So I just..." Cozy took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be completely honest, okay? I don't really like myself to begin with. So if some deranged evil fake version of me shows up to cause trouble for the ponies I love, like, why not? That was pretty much all I thought of it. I was just in survival mode at that point... I was going to do the same thing to Sombra, too."

Cozy gave a nonchalant shrug and glanced in her empty mug, shrugging and shoving it away slightly. She slowly slid the second stein Sunset had poured for her over and took a sip.

"But you didn't?" Sunset prompted her. "How come?"

Cozy chewed her cheek at that in thought for a little while. Black, yellow, and purple streaks flitted around the bar while she stared the countertop, and finally she shrugged. "It's really complicated... or at least I think it is. But while Sunset and I were fighting the shades, I was using dark magic to survive. And... I was having a lot of fun being there with her, despite how scary it all should have been."

Cozy took another sip of her drink and cleared her throat, leaning back on her stool. "I was only really scared for her. She was stuck in her human form, no magic, and I absolutely wouldn't forgive myself if I had accidentally drawn her into something that got her seriously hurt... or worse. But I still ended up having so much fun it almost ruined my magic. Like, it's hard to channel hatred or rage when you're cracking jokes with your best friend." Cozy snickered. "Who knew?"

She ran her hoof around the rim of her drink, tilting it back and forth in thought before continuing. "I had to dig deeper and deeper to keep it going. To keep her safe. And at some point, while I was throwing dark magic everywhere and enjoying it, I got to thinking... 'Wow, I'm just like Bree after all.' It was just so easy to lose myself in anger, and just keep attacking until everything... I dunno, until everything obeyed me." Cozy took a sharp breath in and screwed her eyes shut for a few seconds, shaking her head, and then rested back on her hoof on the countertop.

"A-and, when I got to thinking that, I decided, 'okay, well, I'll just go with that, then.' So when Sombra showed up, I decided to... really act like her. Get in his head, bully him, tear him down. I've learned enough of Mom's magic, and I guess Sunset's magic, and... I dunno, with the supercharge I got from absorbing his army, and being on the edge of limbo, it was just so easy. I was ready to... to just tear him down, completely. To attack every single thing he had ever cared about until there was nothing left." Cozy hiccuped. "Y'know, like... she did. To me."

With that, Cozy fell silent for a time, contemplative – and probably trying to get her feelings in check.

"But you didn't." Sunset repeated. "Even when you had everything at hoof, you spared him."

Cozy nodded. "Stupid decision, tactically. And it wasn't on impulse, either... I actually thought about it. It's weird... I didn't do it because it was 'the right thing to do.' That's... how I usually act these days. I'm all," Cozy waved her hooves around her head for emphasis, " 'Now, Cozy, what would Mom think? What would Sunset think? What's the good-pony thing to do here?' And that wasn't what happened, because, like, taking him out was also a good option. Could have done either and I'd have felt fine afterwards. And that's why it almost feels like it was the first decision I've made in a long time that was really mine. It had nothing to do with anypony else, and the whole ethical thing about a shade-pony is pretty... grey, I guess."

Cozy sighed and smiled sullenly up at Sunset. "I guess I just decided, based on what happened with my own shade, that they have some value. That if there was a shot at sparing one, I ought to take it. Even though I was using such tremendous amounts of dark magic, it was so easy to let go. Just a shrug and that's that, y'know?" Cozy scoffed and took another long pull of her drink. "I don't know, it probably doesn't make any sense. Sorry."

"It makes perfect sense, Cozy," Sunset said, squeezing her hoof. "When you walked in, it was obvious that time had passed, that you had changed physically, as well as mentally. You've grown, and as you reached adulthood, the decisions you make will be informed by your experiences with others, yes, but will ultimately be yours to make, regardless of whether it's tactically sane for somepony, or good or bad for someone else. This is what it means to become who you will be. The consequences of things rest now on you, more so than when you were just a misguided filly. Now you have perspective, and examples, and friends and family to draw your own conclusions.

"One of my alternates once told me that, after she had been cleansed by Twilight and the girls, she had lost herself because all that mattered to her was being accepted and proving that she was a good person. Not to herself, but to the others. It wasn't until she found a completely different place to rediscover herself that she started again to let herself be… to make again decisions that were her own without depending on the approval of others." She grinned and ruffled Cozy's mane. "You've reached that point. You've faced your past, you've improved your present and now you're forging your future."

Cozy leaned into the touch with a warm smile, sending a cascade of blue and red streamers from her aura across the bar. "Thanks, Sunset." She then twitched and her breath hitched, wincing. "Oh, wing cramp, wing cramp!" She took another slug of her drink with a hiss, and then snickered. "Oh, I pushed it this time. Heh. So..." She looked back up at Sunset while massaging her sore wing. "Growing up, huh? I guess I hadn't thought of it like that, but... yeah, I guess. I guess I do turn 15 soon."

With that, Cozy focused on massaging her wing for a few moments.

Sunset sniffled and made a show of wiping tears. "They grow up so fast. On your next visit you'll be bringing in your own fillies." She sighed. "Seriously though, it's all part of change and accumulating knowledge and experience. It's not just a matter of age, it's a matter of coming into your own sooner or later."

At that, Cozy belted out laughing, sending pink streamers throughout the bar, and then caught herself. "O-oh, sorry, sorry, heh, just thought something funny. But, erm, you're right. And thanks... I didn't expect anypony to understand why I felt so strongly about deciding what to do with Sombra."

"You do remember that most Sunset Shimmers, including me, turned into a raging she-demon hell-bent on frying Twilight Sparkle and company, then marching a bunch of teenagers through a portal that would transform them into helpless ponies in order to attempt to bring down the largest government in Equestria, right?" She grinned. "If there's anything any of us learn… is that decisions like the one you made are not as black or white as some people would like to say."

Cozy stared at Sunset. Just, gaped. "You... you did what?"

"Oooh, your Sunset hadn't told you?" Sunset laughed. "You should pretend not to know and just drop hints. Like, 'gee, I wonder if I could convince the football team to come with me to Equestria to take over the griffon league' or something."

Cozy blinked a few times, and began rubbing her temples. "Ooh. Oh, a lot of the hints she's dropped about her past make more sense now. Wow, that plan is super, duper dumb."

"Well, sort of yes. Mostly dumb." Sunset cleared her throat. "I'd just call it stupid. I can't recall exactly what I was thinking in that haze of hormonally-warring-anger mixed with demonic possession, but I think part of the plan was to hold them hostage." She shrugged. "Honestly? It just becomes worse from that point onward. Doomed to fail. That wasn't my brightest moment."

Cozy laughed again, sending black and pink streamers through the bar, and held a hoof up for a hoofbump. "Yeah! Backfire sisters!"

Sunset grinned and hoof-bumped her. With a bit of magic, she transformed into her demonic self. "This is what I looked like. Now, imagine me, like this, promising not to hurt anypony if I get to control the world, and tell me you'd buy it."

Cozy snickered heavily. "Yeeeaaah that would be a tough sell, I'll admit. Oh! Let me try, let me try!"

Cozy folded her wings to her side with some effort, and closed her eyes. Black and blue streamers flowed over her body for a few moments, and the crystal pattern over her began to darken considerably. When her eyes opened again, they were green and red, like Sombra's – and in a few moments, a gentle purple aura began to emit from them, completing the image.

Which promptly fell away when Cozy grinned. "Did I get it?!"

"Yep, you look like you could claim your dad was Trigon, and demand that Batman's heir be your husband lest you release him into the world."

Cozy giggled at that, her face confused. "Wait, I know who Batman is, but... ah, forget it." She snorted.

Sunset, still in demon form, smiled and leaned on the bar. "It took a long time for me to accept this. I had to be in hell and meet a princess there to start accepting what I had been, what I could become, and how that didn't change who I really was."

Cozy rolled her eyes. "But you also have, like, a full-blown angel form, don't you? Kiiiinda balances out. I think. In my books!" At that, a lavender streamer went out, and Cozy snickered again. "Heh, books."

Sunset chuckled and returned to her normal bartender look. "Sort of. As you well know, it's not the shape you take, but who you are inside. Sometimes we discover more thanks to changes like these, but you and I are who we are regardless of what form we take." She frowned. "Except saiyan. I get very fight-y when I'm a saiyan."

Cozy cradled her head in her hooves and shot Sunset her best devious look. "My secret is that I'm always super fight-y."

"Cozy Glow: The Incredible Pegasus. Turns green when she's fighty."

Cozy Glow tapped her chin in thought. Then she brightened and smiled. "Oh! Oh, Hulk, I get that one!" Then she paused and leaned back, pointing a hoof at Sunset. "I understood that reference."

"I see my other self has good taste in comic flicks." Sunset said. "If you ever bring her in, make sure to let me know in advance who her favorite hero is and I'll invite them over for a drink too."

Cozy squeed at that. "Oh, I'll do that! If anypony could use a stiff drink," she smirked up at the bartender, "it's definitely Sunset Shimmer. You'd know!" She snorted and took another swig of her drink, massaging her wing again.

Sunset motioned at the picture wall, which had a big number of Sunset Shimmers in it that weren't her. "As the omniverse keeps reminding me."

I guess all of the Sunsets have it rough. I wonder if Sunny is okay?

Oh, you should throw her a party!

I don't even know how much time has passed on her side. I can't just throw her a party; I mean, anything I even tried would just seem like kid-stuff to her, right?

Are you trying to imply anypony could ever be too old for a party, little miss sad-flanks?

I snickered inadvertently at the mental comment, then glanced at Sunny and cleared my throat.

"So, uhh... how long has it been, anyway? For you, I mean."

Sunset blinked. She looked at the wall full of pictures, then at the tables. "Uh. Centuries? Certainly not more than… wait, how long did that take?" She shrugged and smiled. "Long. I don't really count the days, years or decades anymore, if I'm honest. And that is not accounting for vacationing in different worlds and dimensions, sometimes for several years."

I took a sharp breath and shuddered.

That's a lot of missed birthdays.
"That's a lot of missed birthdays."

"But also… a lot of them I didn't… not for myself but…" Sunset smiled at a large picture frame behind the bar. "I've got a really nice family now, Lena, Danni, Celestia, Freya, Ori, Kassandra, you know. People that have joined me and Rarity in this crazy multiversal trip." She then sipped her own drink before speaking again. "And I have returning friends, like you, or Nope. It's always fun, and always new in some way. I guess that is an eternal gift, so no birthday parties needed."

Cozy leaned across the bar to seize Sunny's free hand. "Did you say Celestia is part of your family now? Things worked out?!"

Sunset gazed into nothing. "I was… given no quarter. Every other decade, Rarity would throw some half-assed plan to get me to open up to her." She sighed. "Finally, one time, Celestia came over and we talked it over."

Cozy blinked tears out of her eyes and smiled broadly. "I wish I'd been around to throw a party for you, or something. I'm sorry I missed all of that."

You shouldn't assume she'd have wanted you around anyway. Imagine how many friends she actually has.

Well I'm not going to assume she wouldn't, either.

The more the merrier, right?

Love isn't a zero-sum game. Sunny wouldn't have this job if she didn't have the capacity to care for all of her friends.

Fair enough.

"What matters to me is that you still think of this place and me as a good place to be to talk to a friend," Sunset said, pouring more beer, but this time with a flagon for herself. "You'll always be welcome here."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out, at first.

How should I...?

You could just ask her, sweetie.

I blinked, and snickered to myself, giving myself a swat on the head for good measure. "Right... Uhm, Sunny?"

"Yes, Cozy?"

"How can I be a better friend to you?"

Sunset blinked. "What makes you think you need to be a better friend to me? Or are you asking about generic Sunsets?"

My jaw shuddered when I tried to reply, and I clenched it shut for a moment.

She doesn't want any more from you than she's already getting.

I need to let HER tell me that.

"I know that... being a good friend to my Sunset already helps you in an indirect way. O-or that's my understanding. I've learned a lot about... I don't know, souls? Let's go with that. I've learned a lot about that lately, but... I still want to be a good friend to you. You've actually done a lot for me when I needed it most, but it feels like I just come to you when I need something. That's not a good friendship."

"Hm." Sunset tapped her chin in thought, leaning onto the bar again. "I see what you mean. But I believe that you're splitting ends. To me, the fact that you come here to talk, whether it's for advice, or just to let out your feelings without judgement is an incredible sign of trust. Something that you'd only do with a friend." She stood up and walked down the bar, her hand touching the wooden surface lightly until she reached the enclosure where she had… a pet spider? "I'm not… trapped in here, you know?" She grinned. "How about next time you drop by, you invite me to your birthday party? I can always make time to hang out."

A spider?

Twice the legs, twice the fun!

I perked up at Sunny's words. "I'd love that! A-and I think I'll stop by more often. I... I was kinda nervous to do it, I thought it was a hassle for you. I never thought so much time would go by, for you. I... I don't really understand how you even remember me."

"It's hard to explain," Sunset said, looking up and around the bar. "There's some evidence that a human or pony mind can only store so much memory before things that are not constants fade away… and with eternity completely at some point. But this place, and I… everyone leaves a mark. Every version, every unique individual that comes in touches the bar, teaches me something, and in some cases like you, become friends. And, for some reason, thanks to however this whole thing works, I manage to remember everyone." She chuckled. "I wouldn't trade my unique memories of all my friends for anything."

Wait an apple-buckin' minute, ain't that...?

I think you're on the right track.

I blinked, sorting out my thoughts about what Sunny had said. "Sunset Shimmer wields the element of... empathy? Nopony really talks about it much, since it wasn't one of the elements the Pillars categorized, but I've heard Aunt Celestia talk about it. And I discussed it a little with Sunset."

I cleared my throat, and thought about it a little more. "Are you... I don't know, the version of Sunset that just became the element of empathy? I-I don't really know how to phrase that, but Twilight is what ponies see when they talk to the tree, according to the journal..."

"You know, I never thought of it that way." Sunset said with a shrug as she walked back over to where she had left her butterbeer. "I think empathy plays a big part in it, but if I was the incarnation of empathy, I doubt I could have had that much fun pinching Jiren in the face… before he knocked me out." The last part was muttered under her breath.

"Why not?" I looked up at her seriously before I caught myself, and glanced away. "I mean, empathy cuts both ways. You might understand somepony who's bad, but still care more about the ones they've hurt. Being compassionate doesn't mean you can't feel hate or anger."

I sucked in a breath and chewed my lip.

Just get it out there. Come on.

"I-in fact I think you can only really feel hate or anger if you care. A-and I don't think you can really care without feeling those, too."

"Well, I'm not sure, but I can't say it's impossible. At the end of the day, we all need empathy, right? And as a bartender, without empathy, I can't provide a memorable service."

I nodded, shuffling a bit in my seat as I thought over what I'd said.

Everypony else isn't as ugly as I am, you know.

We've been over this, it's not WRONG to feel that way... I think.

"If you think about it," Sunset spoke up after chugging half her flagon, "you had a moment recently where empathy guided your decision, right? With Sombra, you could have easily killed him, but it was your empathy that opened other options to you. Do you think you'll ever forget that moment?"

"Definitely not." I smiled and took a swig of my own drink. "And you're right, I was able to understand the situation because I put myself in his position. But... I wouldn't have been able to really understand if I didn't share a lot of his feelings." I coughed lightly, and painfully stretched my wings in and out while I thought of how to phrase things. "Hatred, rage, pain... despair... all of that."

"Empathy is not just the ability to feel things," Sunset replied, leaning one arm on the bar as she reached over to poke my nose. "It's also the ability to extrapolate from our experiences to reach a little or a lot of understanding. I think you're underselling what the experiences in your life have taught you. I think you would be able to empathize with him even if you hadn't felt things like that before… it was because you're a good person that you took those feelings and understanding and turned them into something positive."

I smiled sincerely up at her. "Thanks, Sunset." And I wanted to leave it there...

Be honest, now. Don't go hidin' anythin' from Sunny, it's not like she'll bite you.

But she's probably right anyway. I mean, what do I know?

Everypony has more to learn, Cozy. No matter how old or wise we may seem.

I groaned, rubbing my head.

Sunset watched as Cozy grumbled under her breath and squirmed, almost painfully obviously debating with herself. Just like earlier, wherever her thoughts turned to, streamers of magic would suffuse her aura, different colors for different feelings… or thoughts. "Hey Cozy, it seems like you're having some sort of argument there, what's going on?"

Cozy snapped to attention, cheeks flushing over in embarrassment, accompanied by black and pink streamers. "O-oh, sorry, I, uh," she cleared her throat, and slowly gathered herself, ruffling her feathers, before resuming, "I was... I... kinda..."

Cozy grimaced. "I kinda disagree with you on one thing."

Sunset pulled a picture-perfect Celestia smile. "Everyone is wrong once in a while, my little pony. Let's find out why you're wrong this time."

Cozy's jaw slackened, and she belted out laughter at that. "Oh, oh, oh my GOSH, I need, I need to introduce you to Aunt Celestia so you can show her that, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Cozy thumped her hoof on the countertop, pink, red, and blue streamers swirling around her for a few moments before she collected herself. She cleared her throat, still snickering.

"I, uh, I don't think I could have," she snickered again, wiping a tear from her eye, "I don't think I could have related to Sombra if I hadn't felt those things before, is all. I appreciate everything you said, it's just..." At that, Cozy's expression dropped a little, but she stiffened up and raised her head, "I just don't... I can't separate those feelings. Love and hate are like," she made a bunch of hoof gestures like she was messing with a giant ball of yarn, "all tangled up together for me. It's not that they're at war or something, it's that they're... I dunno, two expressions of the same feeling. They're not really different. O-or that's what I think. Uhh..."

Cozy tapped her hoof to her chin in thought. "Sort of... I dunno, like light and dark? Or something like that. You can't have one without the other, and they're just two words to describe the same thing, right? How bright it is?" Cozy shook her head in frustration and sighed. "I don't know, maybe I'm just too fucked up inside for it to make sense for other ponies."

"Well," Sunset said, "I feel like I should bring up that many cultures have always insisted that hate and love are very much tied and some say separated by a very narrow margin, but I think I have a better example… I believe Discord is free in your world, right? So is Sunset Shimmer, obviously, and Glim Glam." Cozy snorted at the nickname. "I'm not sure if the Pony of Shadows as well, but, I think we can work with that. Tell me… do you think that Twilight understood your Sunset's desire to get revenge on Celestia from experience? Or Starlight's need to control and remove individuality from others? Or how Discord's existence could be terribly lonely?"

Cozy shook her head. "Probably not. Well... maybe the last one a bit, but... yeah, I doubt she understood the others. And I know she didn't need to to be kind to them!" Cozy looked up, somewhat plaintively. "That's not what I meant... oh, sorry. Go on."

"I'm not talking about needing to be kind," Sunset clarified. "What I mean is relating exclusively to your belief that you couldn't have understood Sombra without being hateful, which… you sort of implied. My point is that just like you, she used what she had learned about others to reach out and understand enough of their feelings to reach them. If you could have only understood Sombra through sharing hate, you wouldn't have reached deeper for the kindness that led you to show him mercy." She finished her beer and put the flagon under the bar to wash later. "Old hatred gave you a starting point to know how to deal with it, but it wasn't that—however close to love or other emotions it might be—what made you choose as you did. That was your empathy."

Cozy nodded, her expression becoming frustrated, but she took a stiff breath and a swig of her drink before responding, calming back down. "I know. I'm not saying you need to let hatred control your actions or... or guide you. It's... useful, though. To have felt those things. To not just try to infer what's going through a pony's head when they're upset, but to actually get it. I might have made the same choice with Sombra without it... probably not, but maybe... but I guess I was just saying, I did understand him. And that's why; because I'd felt all of the same things he felt. It made it easier... a lot easier. Does that make sense?"

Sunset leaned back. "I think I understand what you mean now, and yes, it does."

Cozy shuffled, chewing her lip. "Y'know, I think... no, I know that I wouldn't feel so strongly about Mom, or Sunset, or you, if I hadn't hurt so much before. It made me really appreciate ponies – er, people – who are kind or loving a lot more. That's part of what I mean when I say it's all... tied up. I wouldn't be able to feel the way I do if I hadn't been forced to... I don't know, expand." Cozy laughed bitterly. "I guess that's why it feels like having your heart torn open."

"I see." Sunset chuckled. "I think we ended up talking about different aspects of the same topic, but I don't think what you're saying is strange at all. It doesn't contradict what I was saying, however, because we both agreed through different wording that our prior experiences give us a unique perspective into others' hearts." Celestia smile. "Empathy, my little pony."

She relaxed and patted Cozy's shoulder. "Seriously though, give yourself a break. I think you understand your feelings really well, but you really, really judge yourself over them. That's not healthy, just ask your nearest neighborhood Sunset."

Cozy smiled at that, and then chuckled. "I think she'd mostly say something like..." Cozy screwed up her face to look concerned and put on her best mock-Sunset voice, " 'Dark magic is really dangerous, Cozy, you should stop doing that'. Like, fifty times." Cozy laughed and sighed. "I know she was just worried about me, but I think she was just too... caught up in her own past to understand what I was doing, or... or maybe I was just wrong."

"So, I'll be blunt," Sunset said, "It really depends on the universe. In some universes, it's simply a name for a different approach to it, without any additional perks or risks, in others it literally has to deal with darkness as an element… and in some others, like Equestria… it is a thing that chips away at your soul and corrupts it." She shook her head, glancing worriedly at the young mare. "I can't say it's impossible to control, but it usually ends up corrupting good ponies."

Cozy nodded, swinging her legs back and forth under the stool and contemplating the dregs of her drink as her wing seized up again, eliciting a wince of discomfort. "I know... Celestia and I talked about that a lot, too. That's why I'd been avoiding it as much as I could, until now." She chewed her lip, and shook her head. "I don't know what happened out there. Maybe things work differently on the edge of limbo, or maybe I'm just... different," she hesitated in a way that told Sunset that she had been thinking of a very different descriptor, "but... it was like the more I used it, the more I... appreciated what I had."

She threw her hooves up. "I don't know, that's the best I've got. It's entirely messed-up and I know that, but I felt closer to Sunset, and Mom, and... everypony the more I finally just accepted that those feelings are a part of me." She snickered as she finished off her drink. "Yep, craziest foal in Equestrian history, for sure."

"Well, you are unique in many ways, Cozy… so maybe you haven't really been using pure dark magic. Without being there to watch how everything went down, I wouldn't be comfortable even throwing out a theory, but I think you should discuss this with Luna and Celestia."

Cozy nodded. "Yeah, I plan to. And I know it will be rough, but they both love me, so it will be alright..." She smiled up at Sunset. "Thanks. For... all of this. I really needed to do something with all of this, at least sort it out a little, before taking it to them. I mean, I can just imagine Mom pulling out her Royal Canterlot Voice if I had to try to sum up why I was using dark magic so much without any time to think it through." Cozy scoffed. "She doesn't yell at me, but she would definitely yell at something."

Cozy shuffled, and then groaned as her wing spasmed again. "I just don't want to put her through that. Any of them, honestly. So... yeah, thanks."

"I think that just speaks to you being somewhat resistant to what would happen to others who used the magic like that." She glanced at Cozy's wings before nodding to herself. "If you need some time to rest and recuperate… you could stay over tonight. I have guest rooms, and I can drop you off at your place before any time passes."

Cozy smiled, then smirked as pink streamers went out from her, and pounced across the bar to embrace the startled bartender. "Thank you, Sunset." She giggled, then coughed. "Oh, it hurts to laugh. Heh."

Sunset leaned in and hugged her back. "Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't here for you?"

Cozy smiled, snuggling into Sunset, and sniffled. She groaned.

"Aww, dangit, I told myself I wouldn't cry this time!"

As Friends and Family

View Online

DAMNIT!

"COZY!" I screamed after my friend the entire way through Limbo before being unceremoniously dropped on my rear onto a grassy hill. I barely had time to register I was back in my pony form – I honestly wasn't sure if arriving here this way would do that or not – before I was on my rear legs, reaching up for the pinprick of magic that was left of the portal.

It zapped me before poofing out of existence, sending my fetlocks into a frizz but accomplishing very little else.

Cozy's trapped over there with no help, with Sombra!

I grit my teeth and slammed a forehoof into the ground, and I forced myself to suck in a deep breath.

Okay, okay, remember: She was absorbing dark magic left and right over there, and she wouldn't have stayed if she didn't think she could win, right?

My breath hitched as I realized that was exactly the kind of thing she would do. Cozy cared about me, about her Mom, about a lot of ponies – but she hated herself. She had been getting better, but...

No, I can't think like that! Cozy knows how devastated we would be if we lost her, I made SURE of that! So I just need to trust her strategy – she can hold out until we get there to back her up!

With that, I whirled on my rear hooves and got my bearings. Ponyville was in front of me, but I had to run down a large hill and across the ravine to reach it.

Every second counts!

I concentrated energy in my horn and loosed a magical flare before I teleported to the bottom of the hill, then to the edge of the ravine, then across it. Three rapid-fire teleports in a row like that made me slightly dizzy – I am SO out-of-practice at this! – but it put me close enough to the School of Friendship for me to sprint the remaining distance. The front door opened so quickly it almost hit me in the face, and I saw Starlight looking at me with a forceful expression.

"Sunset, what's going on? I felt that flare you sent up and came running!"

I gasped for breath and laid my hooves on her shoulders. "Starlight, Cozy is trapped in the edge of limbo with Sombra! We need to gather everypony—" another gasp for breath, "—we can before the portal reopens!"

Starlight looked perplexed. "Wait, the edge of limbo? What's – no, wait, nevermind. You mean the portal in Twilight's castle?"

I shook my head, still panting. "It opens up on that hilltop!" I pointed in the right direction, and I suddenly felt Starlight's hooves around me. I blushed slightly, confused and frustrated.

"Starlight, what are you—?!"

Starlight's voice came out forcefully as her horn overcharged. "Hold on tight."

The world around us blurred heavily as we accelerated into superspeed. Ponyville zipped past, and I barely noticed that she ran straight across the ravine without even bothering to jump. We were back on the hilltop in moments, and Starlight let go of me and stepped back, breathing hard.

"Okay... Sunset... you have your journal?"

I balked, then realized I had been wearing my saddlebags this whole time. I was so panicked I didn't even realize!

I nodded and immediately set my bags aside, fishing out the journal that gave me a lifeline to Twilight. I glanced over at Starlight.

"Starlight, thank you so—MPH!"

Starlight had jammed my quill into my mouth with her magic, and sat down, rubbing her horn and still panting. "Less talking, more writing, Sunset!"

I irritably spat the quill out and used my magic to maneuver it across the page, quickly scribbling out a message to Twilight. I had just finished when the hilltop shook from an impact, and I glanced over to see Princess Luna staring at me with concern.

"Sunset?! Are you alright?! Where is my daughter?!"

I snapped the journal closed and nodded. "I'm okay, just tired, but Cozy is still trapped. We were flung into the edge of limbo by the portal for some reason, and then we were attacked by an army of dark magic shades. We managed to beat them, but then Cozy sensed Sombra coming and sent me here to get help!"

Luna recoiled, her wings flaring, and then slammed her forehooves down. Her eyes radiated fury. "Sombra?! Cozy is in another dimension, fighting Sombra?!"

I nodded wordlessly, setting my journal into my bag and turning around to face where the portal would reopen. "The portal should reopen any minute. Be ready, everypony, we have no idea what's going on over there!"

A loud blast alerted us to the fact that more ponies had teleported to where we were, and my heart leapt for joy when I realized that they were Twilight, Celestia, and Starswirl. Starlight began running down the situation for them while Luna approached me.

"Sunset, why did Cozy not follow you through the portal?!"

I shook my head. "She had to open it with dark magic. If she had left it that way, Sombra could have slipped right past her and into Equestria before I could warn anypony – and he would be a lot stronger, too, after absorbing all of that. The power from that army of shades was... it was a lot of magic."

Luna's face fell into anguish. "Cozy wielded dark magic again...?"

Celestia approached us, apparently having overheard, and set a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Believe in her, sister. She's stronger than she realizes."

Luna nodded, and I did too, putting in, "Actually, she used a lot of dark magic over there. We didn't really have a whole lot of choice, with a whole army breathing down our necks. She was determined to protect us. But it didn't really seem to do much to her, at least, mentally."

Celestia grimaced at that. "But, physically...?"

I sighed and cast my head down. "The crystals spread all over her. I have no idea what a fight with Sombra will do to her..."

Starswirl marched up beside us and faced Luna, gently taking off his hat and lowering it to his barrel. "Whatever the case may be, even if she has become a new Pony of Shadows, we will bring her back. You have my word, Princess Luna."

I heard the sounds of more ponies arriving, and glanced back to see Twilight filling Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity in on the situation. I sighed in relief at that and watched the space in the air that I'd been kicked out of, doing my best to summon up some courage and energy after the long, long day.

A tense few seconds went by, and then Starlight poked me in the barrel. "Hey, Sunset? Why didn't you try to use the journal to contact Twilight while you were over there, anyway?"

I rolled my eyes at her playfully despite the situation. "I did try, while we were walking, but—"

All of us were immediately on guard as we heard the telltale hum of strong magic at work. The portal slowly opened again, a swirling vortex of energy in the air a few feet above the ground, and all of us braced for the worst.

Wait, is that Cozy Glow?!

It was hard to tell for a second, with her new, dark crystal-pony wings and the hefty saddlebags she was carrying, but Cozy Glow hopped out of the portal. She glanced up at all of us with a smirk, seeming to be completely unsurprised, and gently set the saddlebags aside while all of us stared in silence.

Then she reared up on her hind legs, pumped one hoof into the air, and declared, "WE WON!"

I bolted for her, the tension flying out of my chest all at once, and slid into a hug with her that she reciprocated with laughter. Luna was on us next, and it wasn't even a second later that I felt the familiar warmth of Celestia's wings wrapped around all of us. I laughed uncontrollably, snuggling into the adorable, reckless, crazy, heroic filly I'd come to adore.

"What in Equestria were you thinking taking him on alone, Cozy?" I laughed again, snuggling into her. "You had us so worried!"

Cozy nodded into us, giggling. "I know, and I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to make any of you worry, but I thought this was the safest choice, honestly! And it worked out."

Luna shuddered, clutching her tighter. "I'm just so glad you're safe, sweetie. Sunset talked about you two fighting a dark army, about your using dark magic...!"

Cozy just nodded into us again as she spoke. "Yeah, I did use a lot of it. But things turned out alright! Mom, you really should have seen me out there! Sombra really didn't have a..." she paused, snickered, and continued after rolling her eyes, "a ghost of a chance, pffft."

I snorted at that, but didn't disengage. I noticed an unfamiliar touch, and glanced over to see that Pinkie had somehow burrowed into our group hug. Without even looking at her, Cozy just said, "A victory party would be great, Pinkie. Thanks."

Pinkie just gasped and began vibrating as her smile got wider and wider, but I decided not to worry about it and just held on for now. I let waves of relief wash over me with the simple thought,

My family is safe.

Cozy and I filled in everypony else about our day on the edge of limbo during our walk back to Ponyville. She got surprisingly animated and excited at various points, acting out various moments and flying around in short bursts to illustrate the battle. It didn't take long before Rainbow Dash got in on it with her, with the two of them doing goofy, slow-motion ouch-I-am-dead fight moments.

Cozy's laughter was a constant the whole way back to the crystal castle, where Pinkie Pie had declared the party would take place, because she had, quote, 'prepared it for every type of possible party in advance'. Once we got there, we saw what she meant as she unfurled banners (though one was apparently congratulating the sunlight for some reason – a typo, I guessed – and she took it down in a huge panic), blasted confetti everywhere, and served pie, cake, and Rainbow Dash's favorite fruit snacks within minutes.

Once we had all settled in, I leaned across the small table Pinkie had pulled aside for my family (My family, I still couldn't believe it!) and addressed Cozy.

"So that's where we split up... what happened afterwards?"

All ears were on Cozy, but to my surprise, she actually didn't respond with the same bombast and energy she had talked about the other events with. Instead, she hesitated and seemed to have a small argument in her head about it, tilting her head left and right. I noticed her wings shimmered various different colors as it went on, too.

Finally, she took a breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. "So... It started raining."

Rainbow Dash in particular leaned in closer, but Cozy grimaced and waved her off. "No, sorry, Dash, this isn't – I'm not trying to build suspense, I just don't know how to tell this one."

Dash frowned. "Aww." Then she perked up. "Well once you do tell us, I'll make a super awesome version of it to tell other ponies!"

Fluttershy smiled at that, setting a hoof on Rainbow's withers. "I think that's a lovely idea, Rainbow. I still think you should try being an author."

I noticed that Cozy stole the distraction to think some more, but once the chatter died down and eyes were back on her, she nodded.

"So, um, it started raining, and I drank a couple of potions to get ready – uh, the last stamina potion we had, and my Soulfire potion. Then I went out to confront Sombra and... Uh, and Cozy Glow."

Cozy cleared her throat to the silent, confused room, and continued on. "That Sombra wasn't real, because, well, our Sombra is dead. Both of them came from an alternate timeline, a 'dead' timeline... I realized that as soon as they got close. I could just feel it, with all of the magic I had at the time. Just before I left the... the timeline where I was the Dashing Savior, I had started to feel the same thing. It's hard to describe, just a sense that something is off. And... well, uh, Sombra had the Alicorn Amulet from that timeline on, so I—"

Luna, who had been sitting next to Cozy, wrapped a wing around her daughter with an expression of alarm. "Sombra with the alicorn amulet?! And another version of you?! Sweetie, you should not have..." Luna trailed off and took a stabilizing breath before she continued, while Cozy just frowned and kept her gaze down. "I realize you did what you felt was best in the moment, and I cannot argue your choice was... sound, given the outcome. But I wish you would not be so reckless."

Cozy nodded with a sigh. "I know, but I could sense how much dark magic he was carrying before he even got there. And it wasn't anywhere close to as much as I had absorbed from his army. I didn't really want a stronger-than-double Sombra marching on Equestria, and, well, I had been absorbing his dark-magic creations all day. I've studied Sombra, I knew his tactics, and I knew I could absorb his magic. I didn't expect another of me to show up, but I put the dots together just before they arrived, when I felt a second shade from a different timeline coming towards the portal. I mean, somepony had to explain how the portal magic worked, right? It was the same spell I used to nearly wipe out magic in Equestria."

Cozy snorted and smiled sadly up at us, and I saw Luna squeeze her a little tighter with her wing to reassure her, prompting a smile from me. Cozy took a moment and then continued. "So, uh, yeah. I applied the flash cut principle to Sombra – that is, I knew what his opening moves would be. First that nightmare Sunset and I went through, then a blast of dark magic. I knew I could absorb that, so I focused on charging through it before he could react. I shattered his amulet, and, uh... well, pretty much the rest of him, too." Cozy snorted at that. "First time I've used the Flying Hydra Punch in forever, but I had the magic to really make it happen again. While he was a smoke cloud, I got rid of the other me, and then Sombra and I squared off again."

Looks were exchanged when Cozy said she 'got rid of' herself, but she didn't break stride.

"We were at a stalemate, but since my magic was way stronger than his without the amulet, I decided to get into his head, the way he does to other ponies. Only, rather than just pull on his fears, I pulled on what he loved, and... I created a temporal distortion field. His memories drew out a pony he had loved, once, a long time ago – I pulled her out of a timeline where she had no future, basically – and... Uh, well, I decided to leave them there. Sombra didn't have enough dark magic to open the portal on his own, and was more interested in being with the pony I put him with than in fighting me, so I wasn't in any danger, so... yeah."

Cozy cleared her throat. "They're still there, on the edge of limbo. I actually was hoping we could rebuild Starswirl's fortress—" she nodded to Starswirl, who smiled and nodded back, though he had been distinctly uneasy since dark magic came up, "—and maybe... I don't know, involve them, somehow? They're only going to be around for a few more months, but it seems like the nice thing to do, to put Sombra in charge of the project, or something. It would be nice if the history books could remember anything nice about him before he fades away."

Looks were exchanged at that, and it was actually Starswirl who broke the uneasy silence. "So, you mean to say you showed him mercy, and now you wish for us to extend kindness to him, despite how dangerous he is?"

Cozy nodded, her expression a little confused. "Uh, yeah...? That's... kind of what we do, isn't it?" She glanced around for confirmation, and was greeted with many warm smiles. Starswirl, for his part, just leaned back out with a somewhat confused smile. "I see. Well, that's... quite pleasing to hear, is all."

Luna nosed Cozy slightly. "Sweetie, what happened to your shade?"

Cozy fidgeted. "I... tore open a portal to the aether, and I bucked her into it."

Shocked expressions and cringes went through all of us, myself included.

She... she did what?! To herself?!

My stomach dropped at imagining that scene for a second. Cozy coughed slightly and cracked a weak smile.

"I, uh, might have yelled 'good riddance' while I was at it. But, um, as soon as she went through, I... kinda saw her life flash before my eyes. Especially the ending. That's... part of why I decided to spare Sombra. I kinda realized how important those... ghosts, or shades, or whatever can be to a pony."

Luna clutched Cozy tighter, resting her head on Cozy's head. "Oh, sweetie...!"

Cozy laughed at that. "I'm fine, Mom. Really, it was just... I mean it was messed-up but now it's over. It just gave me a lot to think about."

Luna and I exchanged a look, but we decided to leave the recap off at that point. Soon enough everypony dispersed, and the party got into full swing. There were still misgivings hanging over everypony, but Pinkie didn't let that last long with her antics, especially once it was revealed that Cozy's saddlebags had somehow been laden down with fancy drinks for all of us.

I wanted to interrogate her on that, but Luna and Celestia seemed to think that this was the most natural thing in the world, so I was forced to just roll with it.

Why do I feel like there's some kind of weird cosmic joke being played on me right now?

Though my misgivings were admittedly subdued significantly when I discovered just how good the butter beer was.

It is absolutely unfair to bribe me into letting this slide with something this good. Who MADE this? I wish I could make something like this!

And with that I decided to just throw myself into enjoying the party with the Equestrian counterparts of my friends.

We were in the middle of watching Cozy re-enact her showdown with Sombra on a pinata – complete with making a giant rainbow crystal pillar emerge from the castle to launch her into the sky, much to the astonishment of all present – when Celestia approached me, snickering as Cozy flew down in a spiral pattern.

"She certainly seems to have come out of her experience stronger, hasn't she?"

I just shook my head in disbelief. "Those crystals... she could only summon dark magic crystals over there! I still don't understand what's happened to her."

Celestia just smiled and draped a wing over me. "It would seem our friend is recovering from her experiences. I suppose her showdown with Sombra had something to do with that, though if I had to guess," Celestia shot me a knowing look and smile, "I'd say your friendship was the bigger factor in all of this."

I scoffed, shaking my head and smiling. "I don't know about that, but... well, I'm happy for her! I can always ask her about it later. I'm just glad all of us are safe and we can enjoy a good time together."

Celestia nodded, and I felt a soothing tug from her wing. "It can be easy to let anxieties overwhelm us such that we forget to enjoy the good times. Dark times take enough from us as it is without us volunteering the rest of our lives to them."

I snickered at that. "In the human world there's a slang term for that. They call it 'letting something live rent-free in your head.' "

Celestia had to hold up a hoof to conceal a undignified bit of snickering as she screwed her eyes closed, and I felt my heart leap to make her happy. She glanced at me, her smile broken down into a relaxed grin.

"That's a good one! I'll need to remember that."

I grinned back at her. "This won't be another 'dunked on', will it? It took you a week to stop saying that."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I find something funny and it sticks with me! Like you've never made a bad joke. Hmph!" She tossed her head such that her massive mane crashed over my face for a moment, causing me to splutter momentarily as she pulled it away.

"Bleh! Heeey!" I laughed despite myself, and pulled in closer to her. "Alright, alright, I won't rip on you for that anymore, just don't give me another dose of that hair – you can't breathe in that stuff!"

Celestia snickered, then closed her eyes and turned her head away in a faux regal pose. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean! My hair has a mind of its own, you know."

I blew a raspberry. "At least part of you does!"

Celestia's facade broke instantly, as her closed eyes screwed further shut as she laughed at that, wriggling against me. I felt warmth spread through me as she laughed, and I took a deep breath, relaxing. She cracked an eye open to look at me with a serene smile.

"What's on your mind, little sun?"

I remember when I disliked that nickname... seems like a lifetime ago.

I smiled back at her, my eyes drooping slightly from the butterbeer. "It's just nice."

She quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head, and I elaborated. "This. Having you as a mom. That's all."

Celestia's eyes widened ever-so-slightly at being called that, but her smile deepened, moving from 'serene' to 'warm' as she pulled in to rest her head on top of mine. We stayed like that, silent but happy, for a little while before she spoke again, pulling back to look at me.

"You'll be seeing a lot more of me, you know. If you want to."

My eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't help smiling at that. "Oh yeah? What's going on?"

"I'm moving here, to Ponyville."

I recoiled a bit in surprise. "I thought you loved Silver Shoals!"

Celestia snickered. "I do. But now I've got a niece living here with my sister, and a daughter who comes to visit here." Her eyes sparkled while my brain and heart did flips at her calling me her daughter to my face like that. "I've decided to take up residence in this castle, and begin teaching at Twilight's old school."

I blinked at that and cocked my head. "Oh? You're going to teach creatures about friendship?"

Celestia snickered at that. "Perhaps a bit, but I think we both know it's not my strongest area. No, I'm primarily taking over teaching magic classes; Twilight used to handle them in addition to her headmare duties, but she's no longer at the school."

I nodded as I followed the logic. "Starlight is still settling into her role, and the school's a lot bigger now than it was, and Trixie would be the next choice, but she's swamped, too..."

Celestia booped my snout, causing me to recoil slightly and faux glare at her as she chuckled. "Exactly. They need somepony skilled in magic to help out, and I felt like it was the perfect job for me. At least it won't be as strenuous as running my old school was."

I thought back to the School for Gifted Unicorns and took on a bit of a thousand-yard stare as I nodded. "Yeeaaah, that place could be... pretty rough."

So many uptight noble unicorn families...!

Celestia nodded and huffed. "So many uptight noble unicorn families! Honestly, I loved my students, but it was enough to make me want to retire sometimes."

I laughed, facehoofing. "Oh wow. Uh, ditto on the first part. I can't believe you said it, though."

Mom snorted. "I'm retired! I can speak all the truth to power I want now that I'm no longer the power."

I opened my eyes long enough to start an eyeroll, but immediately went back to a facehoof and laughter. "That's right, Mom! Stick it to the Man! Celestia: The Rebel! We just need to get you a black outfit and a chain to complete the 'look'!"

I expected to hear her laugh in turn, but when I glanced up, she was just smiling at me. I quirked my head. "What, something on my face?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "You called me 'mom', you know."

Whoa, did I really?

I leaned back a little in surprise. "Oh, uh, huh. I didn't even notice."

Celestia grinned and gave me another squeeze. "I know."

I took a deep breath at that, watching as Starswirl and Cozy got into a heated, nerdy, overly-enthusiastic discussion about portal spells in the corner while Rainbow Dash and Luna played tug-of-war in midair.

"You know, I used to call you that. In my head, I mean."

Celestia nodded, and her expression slipped into a somewhat sadder smile as she watched the shenanigans in the party.

"I thought as much... you did say it to me once, back then. I had just discounted it as a slip of the tongue, back then. Several of my students had made that sort of mistake... and I suppose it was my own willing blindness that kept me from considering that, having no parents of your own, you wouldn't make that mistake for the same reasons."

As I listened to her, old memories of my life with her came back to the fore. Times where I had wished, so, desperately, to be where I was now.

Even if it meant pushing myself to the breaking point in my studies, defying her, or burning the whole kingdom down.

I scoffed and leaned into her. "Don't let the dark times live rent-free up there, Mom."

Celestia cracked a bit more of a genuine smile at the contact and my words, and sighed happily. "You're exactly right."

I looked over at Luna and Cozy, now having their own mother-daughter moment and talking in the corner while Rainbow Dash crooned over her victory and assisted Applejack in doing fancy rope tricks from the sky. I snickered to myself.

"We've got an odd family history, don't we?"

Celestia looked down at me with a bit slightly-worried grin. "Right?! Is it me?"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Nope, you're the normal one."

Mom reeled back in faux shock and indignation. "Oooh, why you! I'll show you 'normal' when Nightmare Night gets here!"

I snorted. "Okay, but until then you're just stuck being the Princess of Being Normal. The 'Normie Princess', if you will."

Mom scoffed and huffed, turning her head away in indignation. "Well, perhaps if my daughter would let me see more of her online gaming presence than her city-builder streams, I wouldn't be such a dull normie, now would I?"

I started at that, and I actually frowned a bit. "Oh, uh... did you actually want to see the rest? I kinda thought you were just humoring me, to be honest."

Celestia snorted, though when she looked back at me I could see the glint in her eye. "I'll have you know that I made it to megalopolis in Skyline weeks ago. Why, I was so tired of waiting on you I started playing a new game on my own!"

A new game? A random game? Picked out by Celestia?! Oh no, what would she pick out?! She didn't pick out one of the games with the cute anime characters on it, did she?! Those are the the LAST ones I want her to see!

I cracked a smile so awkward I wasn't even sure it was a smile anymore. "Ooooh, yeah? What'd you play, then?"

Celestia took a sharp breath and looked down at me with the air of somepony who was annoyed, though the mischievous glint never left her eye. "Well, I admit there were many games on the storefront that looked quite approachable, with colorful... I think the term was 'anime' characters."

My heart was slowly coming to a stop. "Buuuuut...?"

Please for the love of my Mom let there be a 'but'!

"But Principal Celestia advised me that those were mostly smut, and advised that I, quote, 'play the hell out of Doom instead if I wanted to appreciate kids these days.' "

I froze on the spot, and felt my eye twitch involuntarily as I tried to imagine that. Celestia suppressed a snicker audibly and leaned down to whisper, "The modern remake, of course. The original looks older than I am!"

I couldn't hope to handle that. I bust out laughing, my eyes still wide open with shock, as I held a hoof up to my face to try to get it under control.

"Y-you... played... Doom?!"

"Indeed!" Celestia grinned at me. "What, did you think I was some poor, innocent foal whose eyes needed to be shielded from the anatomy of living creatures? Sunset, I've delivered foals."

I stopped at that like someone had thrown a full-sized car into the gears of my brain, though I was still giggling. "I-I never thought of it like that. But it's so violent!"

Celestia nodded, and gave me a light kiss on the top of my head, startling me. Her voice came to me softly.

"I don't think any less of you for enjoying it, though. I watched your stream on it before I got started, and it was an enormous help, actually. I'll admit, yes, the level of violence bothered me at first."

"At first?!"

Celestia smirked. "I got over it! It's like you said in your stream, eventually the shock value is gone and you just need to kill the demons."

I rubbed my face, still trying to comprehend this strange, brave new world I had somehow faceplanted into. At high speeds and without a parachute. "How far did you get...?"

"Oh, I beat it!" She said happily, giving me another little squeeze. "I wanted to play the, erm... I think it's called 'DLC?' But my counterpart didn't own it, and I was playing on her account, so."

Finally, my brain kicked back on and I noticed something she had said.

"Wait, you watched my stream of it? But I never linked you to that..."

Mom just shrugged, ruffling her feathers against me as she did so. "My counterpart watches your streams regularly. Surely you noticed she's a subscriber?"

I groaned. "Oh, right, duh. Oh good grief I can't believe you two did that."

Celestia looked at me in concern, her brows knitting together. "Sunset? Did I do something wrong?"

I started and shook my head vigorously. "No, no! It's just... really unusual for parents to take an interest in that sort of thing."

Celestia raised an eyebrow at that, perplexity writing itself all over her face. "In their children's... livelihoods and hobbies?"

I blinked a few times. "Uh... yeah."

Celestia cocked her head to the side. "Then what do they take interest in?"

I raised a hoof, I opened my mouth, I was clearly going to speak, but the database that was my brain had just returned a null list, and I was left standing there like a robot on shutdown for a few moments before I set my hoof down.

"Huh. Uh, not much, I guess. That never even occurred to me, though I guess I've heard my friends talk about it."

It didn't occur to me because I didn't have parents of my own...

Celestia blew a raspberry, which got a confused smile from me. "Well, as they say, buck that! I don't know what other parents are doing, and it sounds like you don't either, so, let's just do this our way. I actually like my daughter, thank-you-very-much, and I think your work is splendid."

My cheeks colored at that and I glanced away with a stupid grin plastered all over my face. Her praise always did that to me. "Well... thanks. It's honestly not much, compared to the big streamers out there, but I get by."

Celestia snorted. "Those streamers probably aren't earning straight As in every subject while studying magic and developing new magical technology in their off-time, or battling to save the world on a semi-regular basis, now are they?"

I started again. Oooohoo, she's been talking to the Principal alright. Now I have to double sweat my report cards. Despite that, I grinned. "Nope, I guess they aren't."

Mom nodded sagely. "Sometimes our work must suffer for us to have a life. A lesson I only recently learned, but a valuable one as it turns out."

I swatted her playfully with a giggle. "Mom, don't go implying they don't have any life!"

She just gave me side-eye, and I looked away snickering. "Okay, so maybe it's true, but you don't just say it, c'mon!"

We both snickered at that before Celestia fixed me with a side-eye again. She leaned in and whispered, "But you know, you do need a better microphone. The world can't appreciate your pretty voice!"

Both of us giggled at that, though I flushed heavily up my neck at the compliment. I looked over to see Cozy profusely hugging Pinkie and thanking her for something or other, while Luna had clearly had a bit of moonshine and was now tap-dancing in a fancy tuxedo outfit no-doubt provided by Pinkie Pie in case of tuxedo-related emergencies. It was a surreal sight, and both of us just watched in fascination for a little while, as did many of the other ponies.

I snapped my jaw shut and shook my head slightly. "I didn't know she could—"

Mom, I realized, was staring in a similarly transfixed state, mouth closed but eyes wide. "Nor I." She shook her head again. "Neither did I," she said by way of correction, which prompted a snicker from me.

The spell Luna's dance had over us was broken when Cozy approached her, saying something while struggling to keep her eyes open. Luna nodded to her, and picked her up, setting Cozy on her back and setting off for the door. I approached them with some alarm, and Mom finally retracted her wing from my back and walked alongside me. Luna held up a hoof at our approach, and spoke first.

"Cozy's simply exhausted. The events of the day forced her to utterly deplete her magic, and she is suffering severe backlash. Nothing unusual, worry not. I'll have her in bed momentarily."

I glanced between Mom and Luna in a bit of confusion. "But she seemed fine just a few minutes ago. Why is it only setting in now?"

Mom gestured towards the door and nodded to Luna. "Go ahead and get the little one to bed, Lulu. I'll explain it to Sunset."

Luna nodded gratefully, taking Cozy away from the party. Mom turned around to face me, her smile a little pained.

"Cozy's backlash is a bit unique. I discussed this with her earlier, and it was expected... Soulfire has a unique property to its backlash, which is that it causes the user's magic to continuously deplete until it's all gone. It isn't called 'soulfire' for nothing – it's rather like lighting a fuse, and can't be put out once lit. The user can initially feel fine, but the backlash gets worse continuously over the course of the day afterwards until they're forced to rest. Dark magic also has a delayed effect; when used deliberately and with abandon, as Cozy did, it can initially feel empowering – but the cost sets in some time after."

I winced at that, glancing away. "But she's fine, right?"

Mom nodded, setting a hoof on my shoulder with a smile. "She'll be just fine. In fact, the worst of it is already past, for her; she rested before coming here, so that she would have the strength to face us."

I recoiled at that. "What? But... when?! She didn't have the time to do that!"

Mom frowned slightly, and glanced up and away to consider something. "You need to ask Cozy about this, but... she has a special place she can go to rest, and time passes very differently there."

I stared at her flatly. "The same place where all of the drinks came from? That she goes to using a special business card?"

Mom brightened. "Oh, you know of it! That makes things much less awkward."

I groaned. "She keeps refusing to tell me anything about it, though!"

Mom snickered. "Well, I can't blame her. It's a strange conversation to have, and I suppose she felt you didn't need to deal with it at the time. But it's not my secret to share."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "Alright, I get how that can be. Especially when it comes to weird extradimensional magic secrets."

Mom nuzzled me. "I knew you would." As she drew me back, she rubbed at my chin with her hoof, still smiling. "And how are you, Sunset? It hasn't been an easy day for you, either."

I gave a sleepy shrug. "I mean, it's been exhausting. That's why I haven't done a lot here at the party. And... y'know, it was really terrifying for a while." I glanced away and kicked it around in my head. "Fighting those shades wasn't even as bad as just... worrying about them coming for us. The fight itself was mostly just, y'know, stay back and shoot, and Cozy's necklace kept me safe. But it was still a lot of stressful stuff in one day."

I chewed my lip slightly, my face falling a bit. "But the worst was when she kicked me through that portal. Not knowing if I could save her in time, worrying about her... that was awful."

Mom nodded sadly. "I'm sure she felt the same way about you, throughout the day."

I took a sharp breath, and nodded. "She did. I saw it. She was absolutely scared out of her wits on my behalf, trying to keep me safe."

Mom pulled me into a hug, holding me tight, and I hugged her back. It took me a bit to find my voice. "I'm fine, though, Mom. It wasn't the worst thing I've been through, and there were good parts to it. If nothing else, listening to Cozy trash-talk the shades was pretty funny, despite the situation."

Mom snickered at that, nuzzling me. "We're a tough family, alright."

I laughed at that. "I guess we are! Not many teenagers can say they took down an army."

Mom leaned back to look at me with a quirked eyebrow. "You aren't going to go try it again, are you?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Of course not! I much prefer my enemies to be the digital kind where I get extra lives, don't worry."

Mom just laughed and ruffled my mane. "And here I was worried you'd turn into another Cozy! Honestly, if Luna didn't believe in that filly so much, I'm sure she would be worried absolutely sick by now."

I smirked. "She wouldn't be the only one."

Mom nodded with a smirk of her own. "True enough."

We passed into smalltalk from there, complete with my promising to play more coop games with Celestia, until night fell and the party slowly dissolved. I ended up spending the night there in the castle, and just before I fell asleep, a feeling overtook me.

There, in a castle belonging to Twilight Sparkle, the girl who gave me a second chance and a new life. Under the same roof as Celestia, my actual mom now. It was back in Equestria, which I was no longer used to, and it wasn't the little studio apartment I had... but I felt truly home, for the first time in a long time.

No Excuses For Yourself

View Online

About a week prior...

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Principal Celestia – still strange to think about, especially since I was also the principal of a school for so long! – sat across from me on her couch, while I occupied a recliner in her living-room. I gently set my cup of tea down on the coffee table between us to buy myself time to think of proper phrasing.

No need to trip over my words in a hurry, after all.

In truth, it was still very difficult and awkward for me to discuss Sunset Shimmer in general, but especially in the new context of her being... family. My daughter.

My daughter. I still couldn't wrap my head around what that even meant. Oh, certainly, I had seen many families – countless families! – and I could have easily prattled on about what I had seen work and seen not work in them over the years. The decades. The centuries.

And yet I still feel completely unprepared for this. Because my own family...

I took a sharp breath and leaned back in the recliner, folding my arms and idly tapping one of them.

Well, now's not really the time for that. Stay focused, Celestia. This is for Sunset, you can sort the rest out later.

"I wished to ask for some information, and some advice, in regards to her. I'm afraid you're rather more familiar with her in recent years than I am, I'm sorry to say."

"Sorry to say," she echoed back with a thoughtful expression, and she leaned back and sipped her tea. I caught myself about to blink in confusion, and tried to parse what she was thinking, but her expression and posture gave me nothing to grasp onto.

That was definitely something important, but... what?

I was just starting to get mentally frustrated in trying to pierce her poker face when I realized she was using the same tricks I always used! Oh, you may be younger than me, but you've dealt with your share of people, haven't you?

And what would make me echo a statement like that without clarifying? It must be something she intends to come back around to...

I started when I heard her start to speak again, caught out in my mental dissection. "Well, what is it you want to know? Couldn't you just ask her?"

I nodded stiffly and focused on the principal. "I was hoping to get a bit more input on her interests and hobbies, actually. I've asked Sunset about it, but I believe she feels the need to shield me from most of it. I'm not certain if she's simply embarrassed, or if it's a cultural issue with this world, or whatever else... but I had the distinct impression that pressing her on the topic would be much more awkward for her than if I simply got 'caught up', so to speak, elsewhere."

The principal's expression didn't change one iota through my explanation, and she just nodded and mulled over what I said while sipping her tea again.

Something about the intense way she was looking at me bothered me deeply. Perhaps it was because, in a sense, that was my face, but...

I feel like she's hostile towards me. I blinked as I realized that, and took a careful sip of my tea to occupy my body as I thought it over.

Not to any avail, however. The last time we had met, she seemed perfectly congenial to me. We'd traded jokes about students and school management, traded frustrating inside jokes and observations back-and-forth with barely a word to Luna's chagrin, and just generally seemed quite friendly.

Well, knowing me, it won't be long before she clarifies. So why do I feel like I'm somehow digging myself into a pit, here?

As I set my tea back down, she spoke again. "Well, I do think it's a good thing for you to take an interest in your daughter's grades and hobbies. As long as you aren't invading her privacy, I don't see any reason not to help."

I looked at her. She looked at me. I was a perfect mask of calm, while wondering why there was such a lack of enthusiasm in her voice.

She... was not a perfect mask of calm. Deliberately, it must be deliberately. Her arms were still folded, and her gaze was slightly flat. Her voice had been cold.

Oh, to Tartarus with this dance.

I raised an eyebrow slightly as I said, "Well that's good to hear. Now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

I'd hoped that would catch her out, but instead her stare became even flatter, and I felt like I'd really stepped in it, somehow.

"So as to say you have no idea why I might be irritated with you on this topic, then?"

I cringed inwardly. Sudden lapse into formal language? Open scowling? Indication I've not only blundered, but doubly so because I didn't even notice? Check, check, and check.

She must be well and truly irate to pull out the big guns like that.

I shook my head. "Just say what's on your mind."

She set her jaw and leaned forward. I could hear the strain to keep her voice level, and that set the hairs on the back of my neck on edge. "Three years. The girl has been here for three years, and only now you're taking an interest in her wellbeing. 'Sorry to say' indeed! The fact that I'm more familiar with your daughter's grades, livelihood and... and her whole life should be something you're sorry to have done!"

I may not be the first pony to admit it, sometimes, but I don't deal with criticism altogether too well. As she spoke I could feel irritation boiling away inside of me, and I held a hand up and opened my mouth to respond, but she made a backhand gesture scoffed so loudly I felt my words die in my throat as she pressed on.

"Oooh no you don't, I know that look, I know you're about to go on and on about all of your oh-so-good reasons for things turning out this way. It's the same nonsense that drove Luna off for so long I thought I'd never see her again!"

That stung. That stung terribly, and I had to catch myself to keep from overreacting. I still gasped when she said it and leaned back, if only from the shock of hearing such a parallel event had happened, and the principal seized the initiative, leaning across the table and shaking her head at me.

"I'm not one of your students – or, subjects, in your case. Whatever. I know how it is – you get used to people challenging your authority who don't know any better and having to maintain your image of never doing anything wrong. But you are going to listen to me, because you know that I know better than to think we don't make mistakes."

I scoffed slightly, and caught myself, sighing. "It's rather... bold of you to assume we have the same lived experience, but I never claimed to be perfect."

That got an eyeroll out of her. "I'm well aware of how different our circumstances are, Princess, but it didn't take speaking with you and Luna for long to put together that some things really don't change. Good grief, even after a thousand years, you two still bicker the way Luna and I do!"

I cringed, turning my head to the side at that. I could feel my skin flushing – and there's no fur to even mute the effect! How do these humans deal with this?! – as I thought back to a bit of teasing of my sister I'd gotten up to when we met the principal for the first time.

It hadn't gone well. It rarely did, really, these days...

"Fine. Fine!" I sighed and shook my head, then looked at her again. "I take your point. So you have things you want to say, say them."

Something squirmed inside of me as I started to really consider what she might be about to unload on me. The silence stretched out, and I found myself thinking about what she had said before I nearly cut her off.

I sighed and rubbed my face as I spoke. "I understand that I've made grave mistakes in this regard. You don't have to tell me that."

"I don't think that's really true. Well, obviously you understand that you did something wrong, but I want to hear it from you: what did you do wrong, Celestia?"

I winced and scoffed despite myself, rolling my eyes.

Heavens know I've asked myself that so many times, over the years... she must do the same. And it's in precisely that voice. Ugh...

I sighed. "I... I was not patient enough with her. And I was blind to what she truly needed from me. I let my own... my issues get in the way of taking proper care of her. Get in the way of adopting her."

She frowned at me, tapping a finger against her arm irritably. "... And?"

I couldn't hold back that time, and snapped out, "Just tell me what you want to say, already!" irritably.

Principal Celestia leaned forward, propping herself up with her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together as she fixed me with an intense look. "Fine. Let's start with the part where you took in an orphan, who – as most orphans do, ob-vi-ous-ly, wanted a family more than anything."

I slowly brought my hand up and buried my face in it while she pushed on.

"You took this girl in because of her magical abilities, and based your entire relationship – which, lest we forget, was the only close relationship she had ever had – around her learning magic and becoming more powerful. Then, after stringing her along without adopting her, despite lavishing affection and praise on her, went out and adopted another pony as a niece because she became an – alicorn, is that right?"

I nodded miserably. "Where did you even hear about all of this?"

She scoffed. "Oh, it wasn't easy. I had to get bits and pieces from Sunset, from Princess Twilight, from your Luna... but I put it all together eventually. And I'm hardly done, you know."

I groaned at that, letting my hand drop as I rolled my eyes. "What is the point of this? I know all of this already! I grasp what I did wrong!"

"Well that's too damned bad!" she snapped at me, her voice so hot and wrathful I actually recoiled in shock. Her glare was nakedly hostile now, to the point I wondered if we would come to blows.

Was I this angry with Chrysalis or Tirek, even?!

She made a 'tch' sound and shook her head as she pressed on. "I don't really care if you think you understand it already. I'm absolutely sick of dealing with the aftermath of deadbeat parents, Princess. Every time a young, bright student comes here and I watch their lives just—" she made a violently swerving motion before letting her hand drop like it had gone off of a cliff "—derail because their parents hurt them, or just didn't care, and then it's up to me to try to fix that disaster! I can't always do it, sometimes that damage is more than school can fix!"

She grimaced and wagged a finger at me, which was a gesture I found more confusing than anything until I understood what gesture it correlated to. "You got lucky, Princess. Lucky that Sunset is tougher than most kids – far tougher – and so much more forgiving. She was out on the damned STREETS!" At that last word, her voice rose to a shout that bordered on a shriek.

And it struck a horrible chord in me. I'd known that things were tough for Sunset when she first came here – no, I knew that they MUST have been... but had I ever asked about it? Really learned what she'd been through?

No. No, I had not.

As though she could hear my thoughts, the principal threw her hands up and said, "And there it is! You didn't even ask her about that, did you?! I didn't know, either! But she was just a student in my school to me – she was a personal student to you! And you knew she'd thrown herself into another world!"

I shivered, and said, more to myself than to her, "I couldn't f-follow her through the portal... it was closed for nearly three years—"

"HOW was CHECKING UP ON HER not the VERY FIRST THING YOU DID WHEN THE PORTAL REOPENED?!"

I worked my jaw silently and leaned back in the chair. I'd gone from folding my arms to gripping them, and I had to set my jaw to keep from crying out.

I couldn't possibly offer an answer to that. That didn't stop her, though.

"And you hardly stopped there! It wasn't enough to take in an orphan and string them along, before kicking them out – and I absolutely cannot believe you did that to begin with, don't get me wrong! – and it somehow wasn't enough to send Twilight to deal with your mess—" I feebly lifted a hand and she cut me right off again, "I know your excuse for that! I know you thought Sunset would reject help from you, fine!"

I struggled to push down my emotions. It was a rare, rare problem for me, but I'd long-since learned not to focus on my own mistakes because it led to this kind of loss of control.

And now I wasn't being given a choice. I still managed to push it all down long enough to say, though I was alarmed at how weak my voice sounded, "I'd brought Twilight to the castle t-that night because I wanted Sunset to meet her... I was going to go look for her, but she came through the portal first. That's why it was there to begin with."

Principal Celestia took a long, deep breath at that, closing her eyes and steadying herself. Then she fixed me with that wilting glare again. "Fine. So you at least still cared enough that you were going to look for her. Not as soon as the portal opened, but the next morning. Fine." The way she said that last word could have frozen lava on the spot. "But that doesn't excuse what you did next in the slightest. Even if we put aside your letting Twilight deal with the whole issue for you, why didn't you go and see Sunset afterwards? The way I hear it, you two only came back into contact when she had to come and beg for your help!"

I chewed my lip over. "I... my..." I took in a sharp breath, and rolled my eyes at myself. "I don't agree with my reasoning on it any more, obviously, but... she had been so aggressive and on such a dark path the last time I had seen her, and then she had returned only to steal Twilight's crown... and I... thought that was my fault. It was my fault!"

She recoiled at that, and just idly gestured for me to continue, so I did, though I couldn't get my thoughts together properly.

"I thought Twilight would be the best one to help her. I'd tried! I'd failed! Every, every idea and angle I tried to make Sunset open up to others and accept friendship into her heart had been a complete failure. It was like she just couldn't comprehend the value of others! Like they all meant nothing to her! At, at best other ponies were just chess pieces to her back then. If my personal student could come out like that, didn't it mean that I was hopeless at teaching friendship? I still had faith in Sunset, but... not in myself. I thought I was the wrong one for the job."

I was hyperventilating slightly, and I took a moment to collect myself before I finished my thought. "So... I thought if I had that effect on her, it was best I not see her again until she was ready." Principal Celestia glared at me and went to comment, but it was my turn to cut her off. "And I already know that was wrong! She was scared to approach me, I understand that now!"

"The way Luna tells it, you glared the poor girl down while she practically groveled to you on your reunion!"

I cringed, wincing hard at that. "I... I expected another fight. It wasn't even a conscious decision! The last few months before she left, every time we saw each other was just another fight! I thought it would start again the moment we laid eyes on each other!"

There was a bit of silence while she just stared at me, and I groaned, rubbing my face. "And I realize that doesn't excuse any of this, alright?! But you asked, so there's your answer!"

"And then you didn't apologize for a single damned thing until you were practically bludgeoned with your own shortcomings."

I choked at that, burying my face in my hands.

I just had nothing left I could say. The storm in my heart that I'd desperately been trying to push down was threatening to go out of all control, and I couldn't gain a foothold on it this time, because I felt like I didn't deserve to.

I'd honestly never felt so humiliated and ashamed before in my life. Not even with Luna. And as if giving voice to those feelings, I heard Principal Celestia's voice come to me again.

"It's all very convenient for you, isn't it? So many reasons you didn't notice what you should have realized – what any sensible adult would have considered, honestly – and didn't put together why she was upset about Cadance, why she was obsessed with becoming an alicorn, why she was fighting with you... so many good reasons never to deal with the problem yourself or confront your actions. Pardon my language, but Celestia, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

I threw my hands down and fought to keep from screaming in response as I felt tears start to stream down my face. "Do you have any idea what it's like to live for a thousand years?! Of course you don't, no one else does! My family, my friends my world was gone! I'm a relic from a time when ponies went to war with each other over what bodyparts they were born with! What do you think I spent all of that time living for?!"

I took in a ragged breath as thoughts I hadn't ever given voice to, or even properly entertained, poured out of me. "Day in, day out, I was always just working to make it better. Just... just keep building, keep fixing, keep improving. Get lost in the work and you'll never notice how empty you are! Don't feel anything or you might just burn it all down the way she almost did! My sister, staring down at me every evening and reminding me that I'd chosen that life – chosen to work for the benefit of my kingdom while my own life fell apart. My mentor had sacrificed himself to try to save the kingdom, and I followed his example and threw everything away for it, too!"

I felt my throat constricting as I choked out a hollow laugh, which turned into coughing as a result, and I threw a hand up as I rolled my eyes at myself again. "Because what was I going to do? Just let it all fall apart? Let ponies go back to warring with each other and let the windigoes devour it all?! So I just kept marching on ahead, long, long after I'd... I was basically dead." I had to laugh again, closing my eyes and leaning back into the recliner. "Years, decades, centuries just flying right past. Watching other ponies live actual lives while... you know, I didn't even want a life anymore? I pushed those selfish thoughts down, over and over, until I couldn't even remember them."

I spent a few moments just heaving breaths and turning the whole mess over in my mind. Somehow, it felt like talking about it all was making it all real in a way I never wanted it to be, but I'd committed to being honest at this point, so I eventually carried on while she just watched me in silence.

"I don't like admitting all of this, because it's become a reflex to be the perfect, unflappable pillar. So even though I hate being that, hate that role for myself, it's so ingrained in me by now that it's hard to let go of. But the truth is that I just let the years slip past in a haze. And... when Sunset showed up, I was out of practice at being a real person any more."

I snorted, and returned to grasping my own arms as I leaned back in the recliner again. I wasn't looking at the principal any more – I'd picked some corner of the room and I was a million miles away as I remembered those first few days with that precocious little orange unicorn. Eventually, I gave a wistful sigh as those memories replayed for me, and I continued.

"It was bumpy at first. She had a way of... getting under my skin. Er, in a good way, I suppose. Penetrating that idiotic facade that I used to keep everypony else out, that 'perfect princess' image that I only let slip when I pranked somepony... for that matter, even my pranks were practically a desperate cry for help. I can see that, now. I would mess with ponies who seemed to fawn over me too much, because truthfully I just couldn't stand it. It was so awful being treated that way, like some unfathomable goddess while I had nopony who could just hold a normal conversation with me. Normal, normal conversation..."

"Surely there were some ponies you could speak normally with?"

Her incredulous tone got a laugh from me.

"No. Every conversation was layered with subtext. I was the immortal ruler of the nation – history was in the making with every damned thing I said. I could feel the weight of it every time I spoke with somepony. It was unavoidable! Even if I tried to make smalltalk, there was no escaping this sense that things were expected of me. You wouldn't believe how bitter that made me feel, at first... I still remember once trying to have a fun, light-hearted conversation about how weather patterns were managed with one of my advisors, only to find out that word had spread through the kingdom that I didn't approve of our weather captains, causing all sorts of problems. I was so young, then..."

I heard her sigh, and the clatter of her retrieving her teacup. "And Sunset was your first real emotional contact after all of that time?"

I nodded slowly. I jerked slightly in surprise when I realized fresh tears had started to fall, quite unbidden and almost unnoticed.

"She somehow... got through all of it. Made the years stop slipping past unnoticed, brought me back to reality. And I... was not prepared at all. I can see it... I can see how foolish I was being. How I was still adjusting to the sudden change in the tempo of my own life. And when she became difficult to handle, I tried to settle right back into my old rut – just send her away, let the years start flying past again like nothing had happened. I'm such a fool."

My recounting of my own actions and mistakes over, my mind began to drift, and I felt my breath hitch as the full implications of it all started to settle in properly. I looked at the principal, who actually looked somewhat concerned, to my surprise. It took a couple of tries before I could even speak.

"She... she really s-suffered, didn't she? Because of me."

Principal Celestia took a sharp breath, and sipped her tea. Taking time to figure out how she wants to phrase something. I shuddered and glanced away before her voice came to me.

"Yes, she did. It's taken quite some time for her to open up to me about all of it, but... she's had to work several different part-time jobs, many of which were not at all suitable for someone of her age – which she's become disturbingly accustomed to lying about – to make her own way. Social services helped her, thankfully, but to stay out of the orphanage system she had to avoid benefiting fully. An unfortunate gap in our society, and one that's seen many other teenagers caught between homeless shelters and proper housing assistance. For someone unfamiliar with our society, navigating the legal framework wasn't easy or straightforward."

I nodded dully. I'd known this, of course – not the specific details, but it was all obvious enough.

But I'd put it out of my mind as much as possible, and now there was no getting around it. I laughed feebly against, rubbing a hand over my face.

"I w-wonder how many nights she spent, cold and alone, cursing me for my mistakes."

I wonder the same for Luna. I wonder how many other ponies I've hurt without even realizing it, and how many more I will in the future.

It was on that miserable train of thought I heard the principal say, "The financial and physical situation wasn't the worst of it, I think. When Sunset first arrived here, she was... well, she was scared, and shy, but still a brilliant and driven young woman. But it was clear to anyone paying close attention, even back then, that she was hurting. Angry, wounded. Of course, she had a hundred ways to stonewall any attempt to ask her for details or try to help, but..." she sighed. "What I'm getting at is that the emotional damage was the worst part, I think. It almost always is."

I nodded stiffly, and rubbed at my temples to stop the headache that was threatening to overwhelm me. I was still crying, but at this point I'd given up on stopping that.

"I know I've hurt her terribly. That's why I came here in the first place – I'm trying to put things right..."

"Are you trying to put things right, or are you taking an interest in her life because you love her?"

I jerked at that question, and glanced at my counterpart in confusion, but she just waited for me to respond.

I turned the question over in my mind, and I didn't entirely like what I found.

"... I was doing it because I felt obligated to make up for my mistake."

My counterpart nodded slowly, her frown deep, and I nodded back, my gaze casting downwards as I said, "And I realize that's a terrible way to think of our relationship."

"It's inevitable in any relationship to make mistakes and try to make up for them, but it's vital to remember why that matters. Sunset isn't one of your students or subjects, she's your daughter. If you're just doing things for her out of some vague sense of ethical obligation, you're denying both of you a chance at a real relationship. You can't manage this situation with those instincts you've built up all of these years."

I took a deep breath, and tried feebly to clean off my face with a kerchief that was provided with my tea as I said, "It will be worth it. Sunset's an incredible young woman, and I know I'm very lucky to have her in my life at all. Especially with what I've done."

My counterpart shrugged. "That's easy enough to say, and parents often do, but... well, you aren't the only one going through the motions out of a sense of obligation. Most parents do, really. A healthy family relationship is first built on friendship – and that means the things she cares about need to become things you care about, too."

I nodded stiffly, sniffling slightly and wiping my eyes. "Well, that's why I came here in the first place. I wanted to know what she's been up to."

The principal tutted at me, drawing my attention, and waved a hand. "It won't be easy to share her interests, at least at first. Kids these days have grown up in an entirely different world from their parents, and for you that's... well, that's literally true. It won't do if you just pretend to enjoy it and don't really understand the culture – I watch parents do that, too, sometimes, and then they gradually lose touch as their kids can just sense that it's all an act."

I cringed, and nodded. "I've watched that happen more times than I could possibly keep track of. Is... can you help me understand all of this? Her?"

The principal gave me a small, tired smile. "I'll certainly try."